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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


THE  SLOSS  COLLECTION   OF  THE  SEMITIC   LIBRARY 
OF  THE  IMVERSITV  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


(11  FT  OF 

LOUIS  SLOSS. 

February.  1897. 

Accession  No.6p  y  (7<ic^ •     CUns  No. 


h^i^^  yat:^ 


HE  ,^  ^•'^^y 


SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM. 


By  grace  A<^} 

11 


"  Thon  makest  nn  a  reproarh  to  onr  nei^hbotiTH,  a  scorn  and  derision  to  thf  m  that 
are  round  as, — yet  have  we  not  forg<Jlf<;n  thee.'' — Psalm  xliv. 

"  Ye  are  aij  witnesfses,  eaitb  the  Lord,  and  my  i»er\ant  whom  I  hare  chosen,  that  ye 
may  kjtow  and  believe  me.  This  people  have  I  formed  for  myself,  they  shall  show 
forth  my  praise.'^ — Lbxixa  xliii.  10.  2L 


EDITED   BY   ISAAC    LEESER. 


■        01   Tin  >\ 

'  *  »    fi  i.  J.  -    i  \    THIRD    EDITION.  .>         *    , 

--11  -^  ]'t^\ 


Vi,;:r^-f^ 


PHILADELPHIA 
PUBLISHED  AT   1227  WALXCT  STREET 

5  6  24. 


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^^Y^ 


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*     .rf  ..  >  '    __>>- 


TO    HER 


WHOSE    PRECEPTS    AND    EXAMPLE 


ORIGINALLY    INSPIRED     THE     SENTIMENTS     CONTAINED 


IN    THE    FOLLOWING    PAGES, 


THE      TENDER      GUARDIAN      OF      MY     INFANCY, 


THE    SOLE    INSTRUCTRESS    OF    MY   YOUTH, 


THE    FAITHFUL    FRIEND    OF    RIPER     YEARS: 


TO 


MY  BELOVED  MOTHER. 


Mx^  Wolumc 


IS  MOST  GRATEFULLY  AND  AFFECTIONATELY  INSCRIBED. 


SHEMANG   YISRAEL. 

HEAR,  0  Israel!  the  lord  our  god,  the  lord  is  oxe.  axd  thou 

SHALT  LOVE  THE  LORD  TUY  GOD  WITH  ALL  THV  HEART,  AND  WITH  ALL 
THY'  SOUL,  AND  WITH  ALL  THY  MIGHT.  AND  THESE  WORDS  WJICH  I 
COMMAND  THEE  THIS  DAY,  SHALL  BE  UPON  THY  HEART  :  AND  THOU 
SHALT  TEACH  THEM  DILIGENTLY  UNTO  THY  CHILDREN,  AND  SHALT 
SPEAK  OP  THEM  WHEN  THOU  SITTEST  IN  THY  HOUSE,  AND  WHEN  THOU 
WALKEST  BY  THE  WAY,  AND  WHEN  THOU  LIEST  DOWN,  AND  WHEN  THOU 
BISEST  UP.  AND  THOU  SHALT  BIND  THEM  FOR  A  SIGN  UPON  THY  HAND, 
AND  THEY  SHALL  BE  AS  FRONTLETS  BETWEEN  THY  EYES.  AND  THOU 
SHALT  WRITE  THEM  UPON  THE  DOOR-POSXS  OF  THY  HOUSE,  AND  ON  THY 
GATES. 

Deutekonomt  vi.  4-9. 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 


It  is  with  a  high  degree  of  gratific<ation  that  I  am  enabled  to  intro- 
duce to  our  religious  public  a  new  labourer  in  the  elucidation  of  our 
time-honoured  faith,  in  the  person  of  ^liss  Aguilar,  the  author  of  the 
present  publication.  This,  however,  is  not  her  first  work;  as  about 
four  years  since  she  committed  to  the  press  a  translation  of  the  "Israel 
Defended,"  by  Don  Isaac  Orobio,  the  brave  and  undaunted  champion 
of  the  Mosaic  religion.  In  addition  to  this,  Miss  Aguilar  has  written 
several  fugitive  poetical  and  prose  pieces,  few  only  of  which  have 
reached  me. 

My  first  published  sermons  having  attracted  the  kind  attention  of 
Miss  A.,  she  requested  me  to  undertake  the  editorial  supervision  of 
her  MS.  work  on  the  "Spirit"  of  our  religion.  I  shall  readily  be  be- 
lieved when  asserting,  that  I  felt  truly  happy  that  such  a  demand  had 
been  made  upon  me ;  and  I  accordingly  offered  my  services  to  do  as  I 
was  desired.  Somewhat  more  than  two  years  ago,  Miss  A.  having 
finished  her  work  sent  it  out  to  America  through  a  private  channel; 
but  from  some  cause  unknown  it  never  reached  me.  She  had  accord- 
ingly to  undertake  the  laborious  task  of  re-writing  it  from  her  original 
sketches,  and  she  completed  it  anew  about  this  time  last  year.  Last 
May  I  at  length  received  this  long-expected  book,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  many  unforeseen  interruptions,  its  publication  would  not  have 
been  delayed  till  this  time.  The  work  is  now,  however,  safely  afloat 
on  the  ocean  of  public  opinion ;  and  I  assure  my  friends  that  they 
cannot  afford  me  a  greater  pleasure  than  to  receive  kindly  and  favour- 
ably the  offering  on  the  shrine  of  our  religion  so  beautifully  offered 
by  our  distant  sister,  distant  only  in  body,  because,  though  residing 
in  another  hemisphere,  her  spirit  is  linked  to  ours  by  the  ties  of 
national  consanguinity  and  the  bonds  of  one  belief  in  the  same  kind 
and  omnipotent  God,  whose  are  the  sea  and  the  dry  land. 

It  would  not  become  me  to  speak  of  the  merits  of  this  work,  as  it 
might  be  supposed  that  I  were  but  offering  the  usual  and  fulsome 
adulation,  which  it  is  only  too  much  the  fashion  to  bestow  on  an 
author.  Yet  I  may  say  without  hesitation,  that  our  females  will  find 
in  it  many  passages  peculiarly  calculated  to  win  and  arrest  their  at- 
tention by  their  elegant  imagery  and  truly  delicate  portraiture.     Few 

1*  5 


6  editor's  preface. 

indeed,  whether  male  or  female,  but  must  rise  refreshed  and  invigor- 
ated by  a  new  feeling  of  religious  hopefulness  called  forth  by  the 
pious  aspirations  which  are  scattered  throughout  these  pnges,  and  be 
the  more  strongly  impressed  with  the  beatifying  principles  of  our 
religion:  seeing,  as  they  must  do,  that  the  argument  so  strongly 
brought  home  to  the  judgment  of  all  is  not  furnished  bj'  a  man  paid 
io  preach  our  doctrines,  but  by  a  woman  whose  own  experience  has 
taught  her  the  blessedness  and  life  springing  from  the  living  fountain 
of  the  code  and  law  of  Moses.  This  voluntary  testimony  is  worth 
much  more  than  a  highly  elaborate  treatise  by  one  deeply  learned  in 
the  law;  and  despite  of  occasional  errors,  which  are  for  the  most  part 
animadverted  upon  in  the  notes  appended  to  the  text,  I  have  no  doubt 
but  that  it  will  aid  greatly  in  diffusing  a  true  spirit  of  religion,  and 
assist  our  fellow-believers  to  lean  in  their  joys  and  afflictions  with 
confiding  trust  upon  the  Holy  One  of  Jacob,  their  Rock  and  Redeemer. 

I  rejoice  greatly,  that  a  gifted  daughter  of  Israel  has  at  length  ap- 
peared, who  does  not  disdain  to  stand  forth  as  the  champion  of  her 
ancient  creed,  and  who,  forsaking  for  a  while  the  field  of  secular 
literature,  where  both  fame  and  profit  await  the  successful  aspirant, 
links  her  fate  with  those  ardent  few  who  hesitate  not  to  avow  their 
abiding  hope  in  the  law  of  their  Hebrew  forefathers,  and  who  seek 
for  no  better  reward,  than  to  see  their  own  religion  followed  and  its 
adherents  honoured,  not  for  the  possession  of  wealth  and  power,  but 
for  the  possession  of  a  piety  and  a  devotedness  to  their  God,  which 
can  proceed  solely  from  hopes  whose  birth  is  in  heaven  and  whose 
ending  is  only  in  eternity. 

My  editorial  labours  were  restricted,  by  the  express  direction  of  the 
author,  to  correcting  the  text  where  I  might  discover  obscurities,  and 
appending  notes  where  they  were  required.  I  have  fulfilled  both 
parts  of  the  pleasant  task  assigned  me  with  honest  fidelity,  and  with 
all  the  accurac}'  I  could  command.  Of  course  perfect  freedom  from 
faults  I  do  not  claim  either  for  my  friend  or  myself;  and  any  slight 
inaccuracies  which  may  be  discovered  here  and  there  will,  I  trust,  be 
viewed  with  the  usual  indulgence  which  I  have  hitherto  received. 
For  all  tlie  notes  bearing  my  initials  I  am  alone  responsible;  since, 
owing  to  the  distance  between  us,  the  author  had  no  opportunity  of 
seeing  them  before  they  appeared  in  print. 

The  chief  points  of  diflference  between  Miss  Aguilar  and  myself 
are  her  seeming  aversion  to  the  tradidoti,  and  her  idea  that  the  teach- 
ing of  mere  foimal  religion  opens  the  door  to  the  admission  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  reader  will  easily  perceive  from  my  notes  to  various 
passages,  that  1  believe  the  traditions  of  our  fathers  of  vital  import- 
ance in  elucidating  the  words  of  Sci'ipture  and  regulating  our  course 


editor's  preface.  ^ 

m 

of  action.  And  I  insist,  in  concert  with  all  who  have  duly  weighed 
the  subject,  that,  without  claiming  infallibility  for  the  sayings  and 
decisions  of  our  Rabbins,  they  are  nevertheless  entitled  to  be  lis- 
tened to  with  profound  respect  and  to  be  obeyed  as  holy  ancestral 
customs,  unless  indeed  they  flatly  contradict  the  text  of  Scripture 
and  the  legitimate  common-sense  deductions  therefrom.  It  is  too 
evident  for  denial  by  the  most  prejudiced,  that  a  discretionary  power 
was  conferred  by  the  law  of  Moses  upon  the  various  chief  tribunals 
for  the  time-being  (see  Deut.  xvii.  10);  and  their  decisions,  together 
with  the  oral  traditions  delivered  by  Moses  himself  to  the  elders, 
always  constituted  our  customs,  and  are  what  we  term  the  oral  law, 
or  tradition.  That  many  things  may  have  crept  in  in  process  of  time, 
neither  warranted  by  the  strict  letter  of  the  law  nor  necessary  for  any 
useful  purpose,  I  will  neither  deny  nor  afl&rm,  for  this  is  not  the  place 
to  do  so;  but  this  much  may  be  asserted  without  fear  of  contradiction, 
that  without  traditional  authority  there  could  be  no  Jewish  conform- 
ity; since  others  use  the  Bible  as  well  as  we  do,  and  still  their  conduct 
is  so  totally  diflferent  from  ours.  Now  what  constitutes  this  diflfer- 
ence,  but  our  mode  of  interpretation?  And  whence  is  this  derived, 
but  from  tradition?  I  regret  that  the  small  space  I  am  necessarily 
limited  to  in  this  preface  prevents  me  from  enlarging  on  the  subject ; 
but  I  may  say  once  for  all,  that  Jews  are  not  safe  unless  they  abide 
by  the  doctrines  which  have  been  handed  down  as  derived  from  and 
based  upon  the  Bible;  and  though  all  may  not  be  able  to  get  a  com- 
prehensive knowledge  of  the  minutiae  of  the  laws,  it  is  scarcely  to  be 
doubted,  that  there  will  be  always  educated  men  whose  business  it  is 
to  devote  their  whole  attention  to  their  religi^DU  and  to  be  at  all  hours 
ready  to  show  the  people  the  way  they  should  go,  and  to  distinguish 
between  the  clean  and  the  unclean  no  less  than  between  the  morally 
right  and  wrong. 

In  regard  to  the  approach  to  Christianity  by  the  formalist,  I  must 
remark  that  there  seems  to  be  no  connection  between  the  two,  any 
more  than  the  apostasy  to  paganism  or  the  Islam  where  either  of 
these  prevails.  The  Jew  embraces  Christianity,  if  at  all,  by  his 
desire  for  some  tangible  advantages  which  his  change  is  supposea  to 
bring,  or  from  a  mere  ignorance  of  the  principles  of  his  own  belief. 
It  is,  therefore,  not  because  a  person  is  a  formalist,  only  because  he 
is  ignorant  of  his  duties  and  their  intent:  and  accordingly  those  who 
have  received  no  religious  education  are  more  likely  to  swerve  than  they 
who  have  been  instructed  though  faultily;  for  if  these  last  fall,  it  is 
not  from  ignorance,  but  from  wickedness.  Besides,  in  free  countries, 
such  as  America  and  France,  Jews  do  not  embrace  Christianity  so 
much  as  become  indifferent,  and  only  coalesce  through  marriage  or 


S  editor's  preface. 

entire  neglect  of  all  religion  with  the  multitude  around  them,  simply 
because  they  do  not.  care,  not  because  they  do  not  believe.  Indifference 
therefore  is  a  far  greater  enemy  to  us  than  conversion;  and  upon  the 
former  Miss  A.  has  said  but  little,  whilst  she  has  expressed  more 
fears  of  the  latter  than  I  believe  warranted  by  the  facts. 

However,  my  acquaintance  with  late  events  in  Europe  is  not 
sufiiciently  extensive  to  hazard  an  opinion  on  either  side;  and  I 
hope  fervently  that  the  Guardian  of  Israel  who  has  so  long  preserved 
us  from  annihilation  may  farther  bless  and  protect  us,  and  give 
effectiveness  to  the  earnest  labours  of  His  servants  to  spread  a  know- 
ledge of  His  law  among  His  chosen  people. 

In  conclusion  I  will  merely  state,  that  late  events,  which  some 
weak  in  faith  have  thought  fraught  with  danger  to  our  national  unity, 
will  surely  prove  in  the  end  of  the  utmost  benefit.  Inquiry  will  be 
called  forth;  men  of  godliness  will  hasten  forward  to  teach  and 
proclaim  aloud  the  word  of  God;  the  spirituality  of  our  faith,  as  has 
been  done  in  the  present  work,  will  be  duly  exemplified;  love  for  our 
observances  will  be  greatly  increased;  and  labourers  of  both  sexes 
will  not  be  wanting  to  work  with  undismayed  courage  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  in  truth,  faithfulness  and  humility. 
"With  these  few  and  brief  observations  I  surrender  the  work  of  my 
friend  to  the  approbation  of  our  religious  community,  little  doubting 
but  that  she  may  meet  with  sufficient  success  to  cause  her  never  to 
regret  the  hours  she  has  devoted  to  a  task  of  all  others  the  most 
pleasing,  of  having  guided  many  to  righteousness,  and  caused  the 
drooping  spirit  to  revive  in  renewed  strength  and  hope  in  the  Author 
of  all  the  blessings  that  are  ours  here  and  in  the  life  everlasting. 

ISAAC  LEESER. 

fXebeth  21,  5602. 

Philadelphia,  <  ^  '  ,„  „ 

'    j^Jauuary  3, 1842. 


Note. — The  present  edition  has  been  stereotyped;  and  the  editor 
hopes  that  the  work  may  be  rendered  more  useful  yet  on  its  renewed 
mission.     Some  poems  of  Miss  A.  have  been  added  as  an  Appendix. 

May,  5624. 


f- 


©3?" 


PREFACE. 


Exposing  a  work,  which  has  long  been  the  darling  object  of  an 
author's  cares,  the  treasured  subject  of  his  secret  thoughts,  the 
companion  of  private  hours,  to  the  eye  of  a  censorious  world,  must 
ever  be  attended  with  many  varied  and  conflicting  feelings,  more 
particularly  if  that  treasured  subject  be  theology.  The  scrutiny, 
the  criticism  lavished  on  thoughts  of  a  light  and  evanescent  nature, 
may  be  heard  with  a  smile ;  the  condemnation  or  approval  of  pecu- 
liar sentiments  and  feelings,  may  be  attended  with  a  degree  of  pain, 
which,  however,  can  at  length  become  indifference;  but  when  it  is 
those  deepest,  dearest,  most  precious  feelings  of  the  heart  included 
in  that  one  word,  Religion, — indifference  can  never  blunt  the  pain, 
or  ease  the  trembling  doubt  which  ever  attend  their  exposure  to  a 
world. 

The  earnest  desire  to  do  good  can  alone  nerve  the  spirit  to  face 
pain,  scorn,  contumely — even  the  charge  of  hypocrisy: — yet  even 
this  motive  may  be  turned  and  twisted  by  the  scorner;  and  the 
breathings  of  a  spirit  painfully  sensible  of  its  own  un worthiness, 
fully  conscious  how  vain  are  its  struggles  to  walk  on  steadily  in 
the  path  it  has  laid  down  as  that  which  the  word  of  God  pointa 
out — often  sinking  in  grief  and  deep  despondency,  at  the  immense 
distance  which  severs  it  from  the  goal  it  pants  and  longs  to  seek 
— these  very  breathings  may  be  regarded  as  mere  declamatorial 
eloquence,  as  doctrines  well  fitted  for  the  distant  crowd,  but  unfelt 
by  those  who  can  so  glibly  and  smoothly  give  them  vent  in  words. 

Even  to  this  wrong  the  author  of  a  theological  work  must  in- 
variably submit,  and  nerve  his  mind  to  hear  his  most  sacred  feel- 
ings canvassed  alike  by  the  sceptic  and  the  scorner,  the  bigoted 
and  the  irreligious — even  by  those  whose  approval  he  may  most 

earnestly  desire. 

9 


10  PREFACE. 

To  the  Hebrew  theologist  these  trials  and  difficulties  are  in- 
creased; for  besides  the  enemies  of  his  own  faith  (which  a  clear 
and  candid  statement  of  religious  facts  seldom  fails  to  create),  he 
has  to  encounter  both  open  and  covered  attacks  of  the  religions 
around  him ; — he  must  prepare  defence  for  all  that  he  has  promul- 
gated concerning  his  peculiar  belief; — he  must  not  be  surprised  to 
find  all  that  he  has  brought  forward  simply  to  demonstrate  the 
difference  between  his  creed  and  that  of  others  treated  as  attacks 
challenging  reply ; — he  must  strengthen  himself  to  mark  unmoved 
his  most  charitable  and  benevolent  feelings  trampled  upon,  or 
totally  disregarded ; — he  may  see  all  that  he  fondly  hoped  would 
aid  the  cause  of  love  to  God  and  charity  to  man  turned  into 
weapons  of  bitterness  and  strife — the  good  he  hoped  to  see,  changed 
into  evil ;  and  often  and  often  he  may  long  to  recall  the  words  that 
he  has  written,  but  in  vain. 

The  author  of  the  following  work  is  well  aware  of  all  this;  and 
yet  so  powerful  within  her  is  the  hope  that  it  may  be  permitted  to 
find  some  response  in  the  gentle  minds  of  her  own  sex,  to  awaken 
one  lethargic  spirit  to  a  consciousness  of  its  own  powers,  its  own 
duties,  to  lift  up  one  heart  in  increased  devotion  to  its  Creator,  and 
benevolence  to  its  fellow-creatures:  that  still  she  sends  it  forth, 
trusting  it  to  Him  whose  blessing  can  alone  render  it,  in  His  own 
good  time,  of  service  to  His  people. 

To  the  mothers  and  daughters  in  Israel  its  pages  are  more  par- 
ticularly addressed;  for  to  them  is  more  especially  entrusted  the 
regeneration  of  Israel.  A  preface  is  scarcely  the  place  to  speak 
of  the  important  influence  of  women :  yet  to  them,  and  them  only, 
are  the  earliest  years  of  man  committed ;  from  their  lips  must  the 
first  ideas  on  all  subjects  be  received;  and  on  them  yet  more  par- 
ticularly devolves  the  task  of  infusing  that  all-important  but  too 
often  neglected  branch  of  education,  religion.  By  them,  perhaps, 
this  endeavour  to  lighten  their  labours  may  be  welcomed  in  the 
same  kindly  spirit  in  which  it  is  written.  The  religion  which  it 
breathes  may  be  deemed  too  heart-springing,  too  feminine,  too 
clinging,  to  find  its  reply  amid  the  sons  of  her  people:  yet  those 
very  sentiments,  if  insensibly  instilled  by  the  Hebrew  mother  in 


PEEFACE.  11 

her  religious  exhortations  to  her  children,  may  fall  with  greater 
influence  than  did  they  proceed  more  from  the  head  than  from  the 
heart.  She  need  not  fear  that  they  will  degenerate  into  slavery, 
that  her  sons  -will  receive  the  scornful  appellation  of  saints  when 
they  enter  the  world.  The  man  will  retain,  revere,  and  bless  the 
religion  of  his  infancy,  and  bear  it  with  him  as  a  shield  of  defence 
and  robe  of  glory.  His  bolder  heart,  his  hardier  frame,  while  it 
strengthens  and  retains  its  early  impressions,  will  deprive  them 
of  all  which  might  be  considered  too  feminine  and  dependent, 
"While  to  her  daughters  the  piety  of  the  heart  and  the  affections 
will  at  once  give  strength  for  the  trials  of  life,  hallow  domestic 
and  social  duty,  purify  their  simplest  pleasures,  and,  fitting  them 
in  their  turn  to  lead  their  offspring  in  the  same  blessed  path, 
render  them  worthy  helpmates  of  regenerated  Israel. 

When  therefore  the  author  looks  to  her  own  sex  for  the  support 
and  countenance  of  her  labours — when  it  is  to  them  that  they  are 
principally  addressed : — she  ventures  to  hope  that  from  all  undue 
presumption  her  efforts  may  be  absolved.  Her  aim  i^  to  aid,  not 
to  dictate ;  to  point  to  the  Fountain  of  Life,  not  presumptuously  to 
lead;  to  awaken  the  spirit  to  its  healing  influence,  io  rouse  it  to  a 
sense  of  its  own  deep  responsibilities,  not  to  censure  and  judge. 

The  hours  of  reflection,  which  attended  alike  the  composition 
and  the  writing  of  this  volume,  awakened  her  too  strongly  and 
keenly  to  a  sense  of  her  own  weakness  and  utter  incapacity  of  her- 
self to  keep  the  law  of  her  God  as  her  heart  desires  ever  to  permit 
her  pronouncing  a  harsh  judgment  on  her  fellow-creatures;  and  if 
there  are  passages  which  seem  to  belie  this  assertion,  she  can  only 
declare  they  are  as  completely  contrary  to  her  sentiments  as  to  her 
intention. 

One  other  incentive  has  urged  her  to  the  publication  of  her  work 
— the--hope  that  it  may  assist  the  followers  of  other  creeds  in  ob- 
taining a  truer  and  kinder  estimate  of  the  Jewish  religion  than, 
from  the  scarcity  of  theological  writings  amongst  the  Hebrews, 
they  now  possess.  It  is  not  from  argumentative  works  that  the 
true  spirit  of  a  religion  can  be  discovered;  and  yet  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  or  two,  these  are  the  only  kind  found  in  a  Jewish 


12  PREFACE. 

library.  Could  Christians  once  properly  understand  the  pure  spirit 
of  the  Mosaic  faith,  the  real  intent  of  all  its  ceremonies,  the  im- 
mortal hopes,  the  universal  benevolence  it  breathes,  the  strength 
it  infuses,  the  comfort  it  bestows:  they  would  perhaps  see  how 
perfectly  unnecessary  it  is,  either  for  the  Hebrew's  happiness  in 
heaven  or  his  spiritual  welfare  upon  earth,  to  make  him  a  convert 
to  their  faith.  And  if  their  desire  and  efforts  towards  conversion 
yet  continue  unabated,  the  youthful  Hebrew  would  at  least  be  pre- 
served from  the  danger  arising  from  the  urging  of  the  above-men- 
tioned plea.  The  hopes  of  heaven  and  comfort  on  earth  can  have 
no  weight  with  those  who  discover  both  in  the  religion  of  their 
fathers;  and  converters  must  adopt  some  other  argument.  But  it 
is  the  author's  earnest  hope,  that  a  fair  and  candid  perusal  of  these 
pages  will  remove  many  of  the  prejudices  concerning  the  Hebrew 
nation,  by  drawing  aside  the  blinding  veil  in  which  ignorance  had 
enveloped  her,  and  touch  some  hearts  which  are  not  entirely  closed 
against  conviction  and  benevolence,  with  love  and  veneration  for 
that  people  so  long  the  standing  witness  alike  of  the  truth  of  God 
and  of  His  word. 

It  may  be,  that  her  hopes  are  too  presumptuous,  her  wishes  too 
ambitious  ever  to  be  realized ;  but  it  is  in  the  power  of  the  univer- 
sal Father  to  bless  the  lowliest  efforts  of  His  servants;  and  if  He 
will,  even  this  unpretending  volume  may  be  permitted  to  brino- 
forth  good.  Trusting  in  His  blessing,  not  in  the  merits  of  her 
work,  the  author  sends  it  forth. 

G.  A. 


V. 


THE  SPIEIT  OF  JUDAISM. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   AVOWAL   OF   UNITY   CONSIDERED   AS   IT   REGAEDS 

THE   JEWISH    NATION. 

There  is  one  portion  of  the  Jewish  form  of  prayer, 
which  every  member  of  that  nation  is  desired  to  repeat 
twice,  sometimes  three  times,  in  every  day.  It  is  the 
first  taught  to  our  children ;  either  in  Hebrew  or  in  Eng- 
lish, the  words  of  the  Shemang  are  the  first  ideas  of  prayer 
which  the  infant  mind  receives,  long  before  any  meaning 
can  be  attached  to  them :  and  it  is  right  that  it  should 
be  so;  for  so  much  of  vital  importance  is  contained  in 
this  brief  portion  of  our  ritual,  that  we  cannot  impress 
it  too  early  on  the  heart  of  an  Israelite.  But  do  we 
follow  up  this  good  beginning?  do  we  seize  the  first 
moment  of  awakening  intellect  to  inculcate  the  meaning 
attached  to  words  we  have*  been  so  eager  should  be  re- 
membered ?  Do  we  of  maturer  years  reflect  sufiiciently 
on  the  verses  we  repeat, — or  do  we  not  all  feel  conscious 
at  one  period  of  our  lives,  that  they  slip  from  our  lips, 
so  heedlessly,  so  lifelessly,  that  we  are  scarcely  conscious, 
when  we  begin  and  when  we  end  them?  The  thoughts 
wander,  the  heart  is  deadened;  we  feel  this  when  our 
necessities  have  formed  prayers  for  themselves,  when  we 

2  13 


14  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

supplicate  for  things  we  desire,  relief  we  need  :  we  know 
then,  the  Shemang  is  the  certain  part  of  our  devotions, 
when  Fancy,  as  if  in  mockery,  waves  her  wand,  and  we 
vainly  struggle  to  command  our  thoughts.  And  why  is 
this?  because  the  words  have  been  impressed,  and  not 
the  sense;  because  there  seems  no  actual  prayer  con- 
tained therein;  nothing  to  vivify  the  heart,  occupy  the 
mind,  or  rouse  the  sluggish  affections  from  their  sleep. 

Eepeating  it,  as  we  have  done  from  childhood,  this 
effect  is  perhaps  natural.  It  contains  no  actual  prayer; 
but  prayer  is  a  word  which  may  be  taken  in  a  wider 
sense  than  its  literal  meaning.  For  prayer  is  the  lan- 
guage of  the  heart, — needing  no  measured  voice,  no 
spoken  tone;  thus  Hannah's  wish  was  heard  and  an- 
swered, though  not  a  sound  had  passed  her  lips.  It  is 
the  hour  of  communion  between  man  and  his  Maker, — 
the  hour  granted  to  fallen  jnan  to  lift  him  above  this 
world,  to  bring  his  great  Creator,  his  merciful  Father, 
a  while  from  His  lofty  throne  above  the  heavens,  even  to 
his  side,  listening  in  mercy  to  his  anguished  cry,  healing 
the  open  wound,  bidding  the  floods  of  woe  subside,  and 
leaving  His  blessed  Spirit  on  the  soul  to  encourage  and 
to  soothe. 

And  this  hour  of  solemn  communing,  comprised  in  the 
word  prayer,  may  be  passed  either  in  supplication  for 
that  which  we  most  need;  in  confession  and  repentance 
for  mortal  sin ;  in  praise  and  thanksgiving  for  untiring, 
unchanging  mercies;  in  the  study  of  God's  Holy  Word; 
searching  for  and  applying  the  sacred  truths  contained 
therein,  till  we  may  know  in  some  degree  that  which  we 
believe,  and  the  moral,  social,  and  domestic  duties  stand 
forth  clear  and  spotless  even  as  they  came  from  Him. 

It  is  this  which  is  comprised  in  the  Shemang.  It  is 
not  the  creature  supplicating  the  Creator — it  is  a  brief 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  15 

emphatic  summary  of  all  those  laws  which  God  Himself 
inspired  Moses  to  impart;  and  if  we  once  consider  it 
thus,  our  thoughts  will  have  no  need  to  wander  in  the 
repetition  of  this  prayer;  for  the  affections  and  the  in- 
tellect will  alike  be  fully  stored. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  as  the  contents  of  about  one-quarter 
of  a  pag^e  in  our  daily  prayer  books,  we  cannot  perhaps 
be  so  struck  with  the  impressive  solemnity  of  these  verses, 
as  when  we  regard  them,  as  in  reality  they  are,  six  verses 
in  the  sixth  chapter  of  Deuteronomy.  To  feel  their  full 
force,  we  shall  do  well  to  turn  to  the  sacred  writings  and 
examine  each  verse  alone. 

"  Hear,  0  Israel !  the  Lord  our  God,  the  Lord  is  ONE." 
Such  is  the  literal  translation  of  the  Hebrew 

T    V  ••        v;  ••      T   :     •  -     : 

but  it  is  quite  impossible  to  give  the  full  force  of  the 
Hebrew  by  any  English  words.  Yet  even  the  common 
translation  is  such,  that  we  cannot  peruse  it  with  any 
degree  of  attention,  without  finding  its  solemnity  appeal 
to  our  hearts.  It  is  the  avowal  of  belief,  belief  in  the  un- 
paralleled, unchanging,  incomprehensible  unity  of  God, 
the  repetition  and  acknowledgment  of  which  marks  us 
as  His  chosen  people, — His  redeemed.  His  beloved.  His 
first-born, — separates  us  from  every  other  nation,  every 
other  religion  of  the  world.  How,  then,  can  we  utter 
these  sacred  words  in  the  light  and  careless  way  we  are 
but  too  apt  to  do  ?  Can  the  mere  avowal  of  a  belief  in 
Unity  be  acceptable  to  our  God,  when  we  neither  know, 
nor  care,  what  that  belief  includes?  sometimes  perhaps 
mechanically  repeated,  even  at  the  very  time  we  are 
hovering  between  Judaism  and  Christianity,  knowing 
little  of  the  one,  and  tempted  by  interest  to  embrace 
the  other?     Oh,  surely  this  should  not  be;  surely  a  few 


16  THE   SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM. 

words  attempting  to  explain  the  full  sense,  by  the  ana- 
lysis of  each  word,  will  not  be  wholly  unacceptable  to 
the  Jewish  nation;  and  be  the  means,  perhaps,  by  giving 
their  thoughts  full  scope,  to  prevent  that  evil  which  in 
the  repetition  of  this  prayer  is  only  too  general. 

The  Hebrew  word  rendered  Lord  in  the  Eni^lish  of 
this  sentence,  is  in  the  oris^inal  that  awful  and  ineffable 
NAME,  which  no  true  Israelite  will  utter.  It  is  the  name 
peculiar  to  the  Divine  Essence,  signifying  He  who  was, 
IS,  and  ever  will  be — Uln*  comprehending,  according 
to  most  commentators,  the  preter,  present,  and  future 
tenses  of  the  verb  n^H  ^^  exist  or  be.     We  are  told,  first, 

T 

that  this  Divine  Essence — this  ever-existing  Being,  is 
our  God,  and  then,  that  this  Divine  Essence  is  One. 
nrtN  the  original  word  will  allow  no  second  meaning, 
no  complicated  signification,  it  is  simply  and  solely  one 
— from  "In*  to  unite,  to  b(?  united,  or  to  make  unite. 
How  important  then  is  the  truth  this  verse  includes — 
supplying  us  with  a  shield  of  defence,  which  no  open 
attack,  no  guarded  insinuation,  can  have  power  to  pene- 
trate. 

This  word,  signifying  the  Ever-Existent,  has  very  often 
been  turned  against  us,  by  those  who,  from  a  kindly  but 
mistaken  zeal,  would  convince  us  that  our  belief  is  wrong, 
and  that  we  are  blindly  following  the  path  of  error. 
They  assure  us,  the  ineffable  Name  is  typical  of  the 
Godhead  in  which  they  believe,  that  its  three*  syllables 


*  If  our  opponents  were  truly  acquainted  with  the  Hebrew  punc- 
tuation, they  would  hardly  have  started  this  argument,  which  I  find 
stated  here  for  the  first  time ;  since  the  Sheva  on  the  first  letter  forms 
no  syllable  by  itself,  according  to  Hebrew  analogy :  hence  my  friend's 
reply  was  scarcely  necessary,  were  it  not  to  silence  the  mystifiers  who 
always  seek  for  some  hidden  meaning  in  the  words  and  phrases  of 
Scripture. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  17 

denote  the  Trinity,  its  plurality  in  unity,  that  even  as 
Elohim,  it  should  convince  us  that  their  faith,  that  which 
the  founder  of  their  system  taught,  was  contained  as 
fully  in  the  Old  as  in  the  New  Testament.  It  is  this 
argument  which  but  too  often  shakes  the  unenlightened 
Israelite.  Mystified  by  the  types  and  shadows  of  which 
his  opponent  so  eloquently  speaks,  he  feels  as  if  he  could 
bring  forward  no  argument  in  reply;  and  yet  that  very 
prayer,  which  slips  from  his  lips  every  night  and  morn- 
ing, furnishes  him  with  one,  so  unanswerably  strong, 
that  I  doubt  whether  the  most  enlightened  of  our  adver- 
saries could  continue  the  debate. 

It  tells  us  that  God — however  plural  the  word  by 
which  He  is  called  in  Hebrew  may  be  in  its  termina- 
tion, is  One, — that  the  Divine  Essence,  He  who  was,  is, 
and  ever  will  be,  is  One, — solely,  simply  One,  without 
any  division  of  parts;  for  that  One  is  formed  from  the 
uniting,  the  compressing  of  the  Essence,  if  I  may  so 
speak  without  profanation ;  and  therefore  we  cannot  em- 
brace the  creed  of  the  Nazarene,*  which  not  only  in- 
culcates division  in  the  immaterial  essence,  but  that  the 
Father  was  in  heaven  and  the  Son  upon  earth  at  one 
and  the  same  time. 

It  signifies  little  that  such  unity  is  inconceivable 
alike  in  its  sublimity,  in  its  power,  in  its  combination 
of  justice  and  mercy.  It  is  enough  for  us  to  know  that 
not  alone  did  our  Father  so  reveal  Himself,  in  the  im- 
pressive words  with  which  He  answered  Moses — n^^i^ 


*  Let  me  here  remark,  that  in  the  above  observation,  as  in  any  other 
of  a  like  nature  which  may  occur  throughout  this  little  work,  no  un- 
kind or  attacking  reflection  is  intended  on  any  other  creed;  writing 
solely  for  my  own  nation  and  in  all  charity  to  every  other,  when  I  am 
compelled  to  write  as  above,  it  is  only  to  elucidate  my  subject;  and 
pain  indeed  it  would  be  to  me  to  find  it  taken  in  another  light. 

2* 


18  THE    SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM. 

rrMX  ^!e*N  I  AM  THAT  I  AM — or,  literally,  I  will  be  that 

I  will  be;  but  that  also  in  the  repetition  of  His  laws  He 
inspired  that  faithful  servant  wdth  wisdom  to  proclaim 
His  unity,  in  terms  so  powerful  and  clear,  that  it  would 
almost  seem,  as  if  His  all-penetrating  eye,  marking  the 
war  of  argument  which  would  assail  His  people,  provided 
them  in  these  simple  words  with  an  armour  of  proof,  no 
weapon  can  assail.  Innumerable  proofs  might  be  brought 
forward  in  defence  of  this  aro^ument — innumerable  texts 
quoted  to  give  it  force  and  life;  but  it  is  not  our  purpose 
so  to  do;  it  is  simply  to  impress  on  the  heart  of  the 
Israelite  the  awful  responsibility  he  takes  upon  himself 
every  time  he  repeats  this  first  verse  of  the  Shemang. 
If  he  know  not,  if  he  care  not,  to  mark  the  distinction 
between  his  faith  and  that  of  the  nations  around  him — 
let  him  pause  ere  he  repeat  this  solemn  prayer;  but  oh, 
let  him  not  hurl  down  the  anger  of  his  Maker,  by  re- 
newing every  day  his  covenant  with  his  God,  when  he 
neither  knows  what  that  covenant  is,  nor  cares  what  it 
includes. 

It  is  right  to  learn  this  prayer  in  our  earliest  child- 
hood; it  would  be  w^rong  to  wait  till  we  could  under- 
stand its  importance  to  attain  the  words;  but  if  their 
sense  has  been  neglected,  let  us  seek  it  ourselves, — we 
must  not  remain  Hebrews  only  because  our  fathers 
were.  The  faith  we  receive  merelv  as  an  inheritance, 
will  not  enable  us  to  defend  it  from  insidious  attack  or 
open  warfare,  will  not  satisfy  the  cravings  of  our  nature, 
will  not  give  us  a  rock  whereon  to  cling  in  hope  and 
such  deep  love,  that  we  could  be  strengthened  even  to 
die  for  it,  if  it  were  needed;  nor  can  it  be  pleasing  unto 
Him,  who,  declaring  himself  a  God  of  Truth  and  Love, 
will  so  be  worshipped.  Our  hearts  must  breathe  from 
our  lips  in  this  avowal  of  our  faith — we  need  not  utter 


THE   SPIEIT   OF    JUDAISM.  19 

it  aloud,  God  alone  may  hear  us; — yet  should  we  so 
dwell  on  this  important  subject,  that  if  called  upon,  we 
might  proclaim  aloud  our  faith  in  the  presence  of  angry 
thousands,  fearlessly  acknowledge  our  belief  in  the  unity 
of  God — ay,  dare  even  scorn,  and  proudly  and  steadily 
tread  the  sainted  paths  which  our  fathers  trod. 

Nor  is  this  the  mere  burst  of  an  enthusiasm,  the 
mere  glowing  of  an  imaginative  spirit,  as  some  colder 
souls  may  believe  it.  Let  us  but  examine  perseveringly 
and  calmly  the  truths  our  fathers  received  as  divine; 
let  us  but  be  convinced  at  length,  that  though  our  search 
has  been  often  unsatisfactory,  often  painfully  arduous, 
that  as  they  believed,  so  too  may  we : — and  none  will 
say  I  have  exaggerated  the  glowing  of  the  heart,  the 
holy  comfort,  which  will  pervade  the  believer  in  the 
repetition  of  this  solemn  prayer.  Nor  will  it  be  in  our 
closets  only,  we  shall  feel  all  that  we  have  gained;  we 
shall  go  forth,  no  longer  striving  to  conceal  our  religon 
through  shame  (for  it  can  only  be  such  a  base  emotion 
prompting  us  to  conceal  it  in  free  and  happy  England*); 
— but  strengthened,  sanctified,  by  its  blessed  spirit,  we 
shall  feel  the  soul  elevated  within  us,  and  clina:  to  our 
Father  and  our  God  in  the  deep  devotedness  of  true  be- 
lievers, and  filled  with  the  warmest  love  and  charity  to  our 
fellow-creatures.  This  would  be  the  visible  and  palpable 
fruit  of  an  earnest  search  after  truth.  And  let  us  now 
pause  a  moment  to  consider  the  duties  towards  God  and 
towards  man,  which  this  avowal  of  and  firm  belief  in  the 
unity  of  God  devolves  upon  us.  The  repetition  of  it  is 
renewing  the  covenant  between  our  soul  and  her  Creator 


*  The  same  may  be  said  with  equal  force  of  every  country  where, 
as  in  the  United  States,  the  Israelite  may  worship  his  God  unawed  by 
the  malign  influence  of  persecution. — I.  L. 


20  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

twice  in  every  day; — it  marks  us  as  individually  His  own 
— separates  us  from  every  other  nation,  every  other 
religion  in  the  world — recalls  to  our  own  hearts  that 
we  are  each  a  member  of  His  chosen  people — one  of 
that  nation,  who  infinitely  more  than  any  other  expe- 
rienced His  unbounded  love,  His  infinite  long  suffering, 
never-failing,  never-changing  mercy, — a  love,  a  mercy, 
not  prodaitfied  alone,  but  manifested  alike  in  the  history 
of  Abraham,  of  Jacob,  of  Joseph,  Moses,  David;  yet  more 
forcibly  to  our  ancestors  in  their  redemption  from  the 
bitter  cruelties  of  Egypt — in  the  long  suffering  evinced 
during  the  long  years  of  anarchy,  rebellion,  even  idolatry, 
which  marked  the  aa;e  of  monarchv  in  Zion, — agrain  in 
our  return  from  Babylon,  in  the  compassion  which  sent 
promises,  warnings,  threatenings,  ere  His  last  awful  judg- 
ment fell.  Ay,  from  the  first  hour  He  promised  unto 
Abraham,  that  as  the  stars,  so  should  his  seed  be,  that 
from  the  loins  of  that  faithful  servant  should  spring  a 
race  peculiarly  His  own,  until  the  present  day :  the 
history  of  Israel  proclaims  our  God  as  Love!  We  felt 
indeed  His  justice,  awfully  retributive  justice;  yet  love 
■was  so  intimately  mingled  with  it,  so  completely  robing 
justice  with  its  mantle  of  light,  that  even  now,  scattered 
as  we  are,  emblems  of  His  wrath,  of  our  own  sins: — we 
may  yet  veil  our  eyes  in  that  blessed  mantle  of  love,  and, 
flinging  ourselves  on  His  mercy,  cling  to,  pray  to,  adore 
Him  still.  "For  what  nation  is  there  so  great,  who 
hath  God  so  nigh  to  them  as  the  Lord  our  God  is  in  all 
things  that  we  call  upon  Him  for?"  (Deut.  iv.  7.)  Our 
greatness  is  indeed  gone  from  us,  if  we  apply  that  term 
to  worldly  things ;  but  not  the  blessed  privilege  of  be- 
longing to  the  nation  who  have  God  so  nigh  unto  them. 
Of  that  no  man  can  rob  us;  His  face  is  indeed  veiled 
from  us  a  while,  on  account  of  our  sins;  but  His  love 


THE   SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM.  21 

enfolds  us  still — He  is  close  beside  us,  though  we  have 
forfeited  the  glory  of  His  presence. 

But  the  history  of  Israel  records  not  our  Father's  love 
alone;  would,  would  it  did!  The  belief  in  unity  marks 
us  indeed  as  members  of  a  highly  favoured  nation ;  but 
alas,  it  marks  not  that  alone.  It  tells  us  we  belong  to  a 
people  more  fearfully  iniquitous  than  any  other  in  the 
history  of  a  world; — even  as  God's  mercy,  His  loving 
kindness,  were  more  closely,  more  intimately  woven 
round  us  than  elsewhere: — so  if  we  sinned,  did  we  sin 
more  awfully,  fall  far  lower,  than  nations  to  whom  less 
privileges  had  been  vouchsafed.  In  vain  we  would  shake 
off  this  stigma — we  are  not  indeed  ''despised  and  rejected 
of  men"  for  the  reason  alleged  by  our  opponents,  be- 
cause we  rejected  and  crucified  their  messiah ;  but  for 
sins,  terrific  in  their  magnitude,  against  our  ever-loving, 
long-suffering  Father.  Who  can  read  the  history  of 
Israel,  yet  say  we  have  not  sinned?  Did  we  not  forget 
alike  the  miracles  wrought  for  us  in  Egypt,  the  destruc- 
tion of  our  foes,  ay,  and  turn  and  murmur  against,  our 
God  at  the  first  trouble  that  assailed  us  in  the  wilderness  ? 
Look  upon  us  in  the  Holy  Land,  acknowledged,  blessed, 
guarded,  as  the  chosen  of  the  Lord;  yet  from  the  book 
of  Judges  to  our  final  dispersion,  of  what  do  we  read, 
but  crime,  and  misery,  and  forsaking  of  the  Lord  ?  Stiff- 
necked  and  flinty-hearted,  neither  promises  nor  threaten- 
in  gs,  neither  justice  nor  mercy,  had  effect  on  us.  Even 
when,  to  give  time  for  amendment  and  repentance,  our 
Father  protected  us  in  the  land  of  our  first  captivity,  and 
permitted  us  not  only  to  return  at  the  end  of  threescore 
and  ten  years,  but  held  forth  the  promise  of  a  saviour, 
through  whom  He  would  redeem  the  world  if  we  gave 
up  our  sinful  ways  and  sought  the  law  of  Moses,  to  bid 
it  resume  its  pristine  holiness  amongst  us : — even  these 


22  THE    SnUIT    OF    JUDAISM. 

offers  we  rejected;  and  as  we  persevered  in  iniquity,  or 
rather  sunk  deeper  and  deeper  into  sin,  the  Messiah  came 
not;  we  were  in  no  state  to  receive  him;  and  the  mea- 
sure of  God's  wrath  so  long  withheld,  His  justice  peremp- 
torily commanded  should  be  hurled  unflinchingly  upon  us. 
Why  were  we  exposed  to  such  awful  horrors  at  the  siege 
and  destruction  of  Jerusalem?  Why  have  we  been  per- 
secuted, and  expelled  from  almost  every  land  where  our 
weary  feet  found  rest  ?  Why  are  we  even  now  scattered 
in  every  corner  of  the  earth,  without  a  temple,  or  abiding 
resting-place? — Because  we  have  sinned;  according  to 
the  mercy  that  we  scorned,  so  great  hath  been,  will  be, 
our  chastisement. 

There  are  some,  who  raise  a  barrier  between  the  past 
and  present  race  of  Israel;  who  feel  not  how  closely  we 
are  united  to  our  deluded  ancestors;  who  would  smile, 
perhaps,  at  the  enthusiasm  which  compels  me  to  use  the 
first,  instead  of  the  third  person  plural,  in  speaking  of 
Israel  in  long,  long  ages  past.  They  may  acknowledge 
that  the  Israelites  of  the  Bible  were  in  truth  a  very  stiff- 
necked,  foolish  people; — but  the  incorporating  ourselves 
of  the  present  day  with  them,  and  endeavouring  by  our 
individual  conduct  to  prove  our  repentance  and  amend- 
ment of  sins  we  have  never  committed,  would  be  the 
height  of  folly  and  romance. 

If  the  Jews  of  modern  times  are  indeed  thus  wholly 
severed  from  the  Jews  of  the  Bible;  if  we  have  nothing 
to  do  with  their  iniquities,  and  need  not  prove  that  we 
are  anxious  to  appease  the  wrath  of  God;  if  indeed  we 
are  such  a  completely  severed  race — what  then  are  we? 
Not  His  beloved,  His  chosen; — for  those  terms  can  only 
apply  to  the  seed  of  Abraham,  the  ancient  followers  of 
Moses.  If  the  sins  of  our  ancestors  are  of  no  conse- 
quence to  us,  the  promises  vouchsafed  to  them  can  avail 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  23 

US  nothing;  we  can  have  no  stay,  no  rock,  no  shelter. 
The  holy  word  of  God  is  not  for  us,  we  have  cast  up  a 
wall  before  it.  But  no!  no — this  awful  state  of  things 
can  never  be;  for  our  God  hath  spoken,  and  His  word  is 
truth.  There  may  be  some  who  think  thus;  but  it  is 
because  the  Spirit  of  God  hath  not  yet  been  granted 
^    them — they  have  not  reflected  on  their  faith. 

But  there  are  others  who  may  ask:  "Allowing  we 
thus  feel  our  nationality,  granting  that  we  are  fully  sen- 
sible of  the  mercies  lavished  on  our  ancestors,  the  awful 
iniquities  they  have  committed :  in  what  can  this  con- 
sciousness avail  us?  what  peculiar  duties  devolve  on  us, 
as  members  of  this  severed  people?  We  cannot  indi- 
vidually turn  aside  the  phial  of  God's  anger."  No,  we 
cannot  turn  it  all  aside;  no  efforts  of  our  own,  however 
great  and  magnanimous  they  may  be,  can  work  out  our 
redemption.  His  mercy,  omnific  even  as  His  creating 
word,  is  all  sufficient;  but  the  trust  in  that  mercy  is  not 
of  itself  enough  to  obtain  salvation.  Our  Father  rejects 
those  who  do  good,  trusting  in  their  own  righteousness 
to  save  them,  looking  to  their  own  works  to  purchase 
redemption;  but  He  equally  rejects  those,  who  supinely 
sit,  contented  to  trust  in  His  word,  and  think  nothing 
depends  upon  themselves.  As  works  without  faith  are 
unacceptable,  so  equally  is  faith  without  works.  The 
man  eager  and  anxious  to  perform  all  the  charities  of 
life,  doing  good  wherever  his  path  lies,  quietly  zealous 
to  do  honour  by  his  conduct  to  the  religion  he  professes 
and  believes  in,  meek  in  prosperity,  as  submissive  in 
sorrow,  yet  feeling  how  trifling,  how  worthless  in  the 
sight  of  God  are  his  noblest  actions,  his  purest  thoughts 
— how  little  they  would  avail  him,  did  not  infinite  love 
and  mercy  perfect  and  purify  them — leaning  on  that 
love — lowly  in  his  exalted  virtue — penitent  for  those 


24  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

secret  or  presumptuous  sins,  from  which  no  mortal  ia 
exempt: — that  man  is  a  worthy  servant  of  the  Lord. 

The  duties  devolving  on  us  by  the  acknowledgment  of 
unity,  though  solemnly  important,  are  comparatively  few; 
and  it  is  to  know  them,  which  renders  the  retrospect  of 
our  history  of  so  much  consequence. 

That  history  tells  us  we  are  a  chosen  and  severed  peo- 
ple— to  be  holy  unto  the  Lord — to  show  forth  His  glory 
unto  the  nations ;  yes,  even  now ;  for  are  we  not  univer- 
sally allowed  to  be  a  standing  miracle,  a  living  witness 
of  the  Lord,  and  of  His  word?  Do  not  the  enlightened 
and  earnest  members  of  the  Protestant  church  all  ac- 
knowledge, their  final  redemption  will  be  in  some  way 
connected  with  the  restoration  of  Israel?  Do  not  the 
truly  religious  of  all  sects  look  upon  us  with  feelings 
near  akin  to  admiration  and  awe,  ay,  and  even  love?* 
and  shall  we,  who  belong  to  this  holy  people,  be  ashamed 
of  the  faith  we  profess — shall  we  seek  to  hide,  and  to 
deny  it?  Will  not  the  love  so  graciously  vouchsafed  us, 
appeal  to  our  inmost  hearts,  and  call  upon  us,  in  very 
truth,  to  love  Him,  who  hath  so  loved  us?  Can  we  be 
lukewarm  in  His  cause,  careless  in  prayer,  silent  in 
praise?  On  us,  more  than  other  nations,  devolves  the 
duty  of  devotion — of  prayer  for  grace  to  walk  in  His 
paths — thanksgiving  for  the  privilege  of  belonging  to  a 
people  so  supremely  blessed;  of  proving  by  our  whole 

*  I  am  well  aware  this  assertion  will  startle  those  Hebrews  who, 
prejudiced  themselves,  think  others  equally  prejudiced  ;  but  it  is  never- 
theless perfectly  and  simply  true,  as  it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to 
prove  in  more  than  one  instance.  Others  will  say  they  do  but  profess 
to  throw  us  off  our  guard,  and  soften  the  path  for  the  insertion  of  their 
misbelief;  but  many  instances  in  my  life  could  prove  the  contrary. 
The  feelings  I  have  had  good  reason  to  entertain  towards  the  Chris- 
tian, are  amongst  the  many  blessings  which  I  trace  from  the  hand  of 
my  God. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  25 

conduct,  whether  social  or  domestic,  moral  or  religious, 
that  we  receive  His  holy  word  as  true,  and  believe  in 
His  gracious  promises — and  that  we  deem  the  promise 
of  a  Messiah  and  redemption  so  clear  and  certain,  that 
we  would  do  all  in  our  power,  by  the  circumcision  of 
our  hearts  and  removal  of  our  evil  propensities,  to  draw 
it  nearer.  Our  scattered  and  humiliated  condition  can 
oppose  no  barrier  to  the  performance  of  these  sacred 
duties.  We  are  not  rejected,  though  for  a  while  suffering 
God's  displeasure.  His  holy  Spirit,  the  light  of  His  coun- 
tenance, are  indeed  for  a  time  withdrawn ;  but  not  for 
ever.  Every  page  almost  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  teems 
with  the  conviction,  that  it  depends  on  us  in  a  measure 
to  hasten  or  retard  the  coming  of  the  Sou  of  David. 
How  dare  we  look  to  that  glorious  day,  when  our  hearts 
are  still  of  stone,  when  we  make  no  effort  to  break  from 
the  trammels  of  sin,  when  we  depart  from  the  Law  of 
Life,  or  show  lukewarmness  in  its  reception?  Far  more 
dangerous  is  the  trial  of  prosperity  than  that  of  adver- 
sity ;  the  one  sends  us  far  from  our  God,  the  other  binds 
us  closer  and  closer  unto  Him.  Surely,  then,  there  are 
duties  which  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Hebrew  faith 
renders  peculiarly  our  own;  duties  between  ourselves 
and  our  God.  How  can  we  then  look  upon  the  repetition 
of  that  belief  twice  every  day  as  a  thing  of  small  import- 
ance? Can  we  do  so  thoughtlessly,  carelessly,  when  that 
simple  act  may  come  up  as  a  witness  against  us  before 
the  Lord,  even  as  a  vow  and  non-performance? 

Our  duty  to  our  fellow-men,  which  the  retrospect  of 
our  history  inculcates,  is  simply  charity;  charity  in  its 
widest  sense,  perhaps  in  its  most  difficult  performance; 
charity  to  the  peculiar  tenets  of  others.  If  in  our  faith, 
that,  springing  from  the  lips  of  the  Lord,  is  hallowed  by 
His  blessing,  marked  by  miracles  the  most  stupendous, 


26  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

like  which  no  others  have  ever  been  or  will  ever  be  per- 
formed,— if  in  this  faith,  abuses,  iniquities,  idle  fables, 
spiritless  and  uninspired  customs,  have  been  permitted 
not  alone  to  enter,  but  to  continue  and  increase:  is  it 
marvel  such  should  be  the  case  with  others,  which  owe 
not  their  origin  to  the  sacred  Fount  that  poured  forth 
ours?  It  is  often  with  pride,  contempt,  even  hatred,  we 
look  down  on,  or  speak  of  creeds  and  their  followers; 
though  of  the  mysteries  of  the  one  and  the  private  cha- 
racter of  the  others,  we  are  profoundly  ignorant.  And 
of  what  have  we  to  boast?  If  our  religion  be  indeed 
divine,  if  its  simple  purit}^,  its  exquisite  holiness,  its 
beautiful  economy  of  justice  and  love,  set  it  at  a  distance 
as  a  thing  apart:  it  should  indeed  fill  our  breasts  with 
gratitude  to  the  God  who  gave  it,  but  not  with  pride  and 
scorn  for  our  fellows.  It  may  be  that  a  veil  is  thrown 
over  their  belief;  nay,  we  know  that  it  is  so,  from  the 
blessed  words  which  promised,  that  when  our  Messiah 
cometh,  not  only  ''will  death  be  swallowed  up  for  ever," 
but  "  then  will  the  covering  cast  over  all  people  be  de- 
stroyed, the  veil  spread  over  all  nations  be  utterly  re- 
moved" (Isaiah  xxv.  7,  8);  and  till  that  time  should  we 
not  do  all  in  our  power,  to  prove  indeed  the  comfort,  the 
spirituality,  the  holiness,  which  our  blessed  faith  includes, 
by  kindly  acts  of  social  charity  and  faithful  friendship 
towards  those  believing  differently  from  us,  instead  of 
shunning  them  as  a  wilfully  blinded,  determinedly  mis- 
taken race?  It  is  of  God  that  they  are  not  yet  permitted 
to  walk  in  the  path  of  light  vouchsafed  to  us.  It  is  His 
will,  that  it  should  be  now  a  time  ''nor  day  nor  night" 
(Zech.  xiv.  7) ;  and  yet  does  the  presumptuous  and 
haughty  Hebrew,  imitating  the  Pharisees*  of  old,  dare  to 

*  I  fear  that  my  friend  has  adopted  without   sufficient  care    the 
opinions  which  our  opponents  entertain  of  these  people;  they  may 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  27 

say,  their  prayers  are  less  acceptable  than  his?  The 
ofterings  of  the  meek  and  lowly,  the  earnest  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  Maker's  will,  in  their  duty  to  their 
fellow-men,  these  are  acceptable  and  of  sweet  savour 
unto  Him,  who  judge th  not  as  man  judgeth,  whatever 
may  be  the  creed  w^hich  dictates  them.  It  is  the  spirit 
which  He  regardeth,  demanding  obedience  according  to 
the  light  His  wisdom  hath  bestowed.  If  more  light, 
more  holiness,  have  been  given  us,  more  will  be  required 
from  us;  and  the  self-satisfied  Hebrew  may  perhaps  have 
cause  to  envy  the  meek  and  lowly  Christian  or  Moslem, 
he  has  in  his  heart  despised. 

That  in  former  times  the  Christian  should  have  been 
regarded  with  loathing,  and  hate,  and  terror,  can  asto- 
nish none  acquainted  with  the  history  of  persecution; 
but  now,  that  in  all  civilized  lands  we  are  protected, 
cherished,  nay,  often  honoured  and  beloved,  why  should 
this  feeling  continue  to  rankle  in  the  Israelitish  bosom? 
Treated  with  charity  and  kindness,  why  should  we  not 
encourage  the  same  soothing  emotions  ?  It  is  alleged  that 
it  is  dangerous  to  associate  intimately  with  those  of  other 
creeds,  that  it  is  as  dangerous  to  our  faith  as  the  open 
warfare  of  old.  They  are  mistaken  who  thus  think; 
were  the  Jewish  religion  studied  as  it  ought  to  be  by  its 
professors  of  every  age  and  sex;  were  the  Bible,  not 
tradition*  its  foundation  and  defence;  were  its  spirit 

have  been  over-strict  in  their  observances;  but  honest  they  were,  and  I 
do  not  think  that  they  ever  inculcated  illiberality  towards  others;  on 
the  contrary,  they  taught,  that  the  Lord  does  not  withhold  the  reward 
due  to  any  creature,  be  it  who  he  may. — I.  L. 

*  Again  I  fear  that  Miss  Aguilar  has  imbibed  too  strong  a  prejudice 
against  tradition.  It  is  mainly  our  general  acquiescence  in  the  received 
mode  of  interpretation  which  forms  the  characteristic  distinction  be- 
tween us  and  others ;  for  how  else  can  we  at  all  maintain  any  oppo- 
sition against  the  views  advanced  by  the  other  believers  in  the  Bible? 
It  is  useless  to  say,  that  the  Scriptures  speak  for  themselves ;  they  aa- 


28  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

felt,  pervading  the  inmost  heart,  giving  strength  and 
hope,  and  faith  and  comfort:  we  should  stand  forth  firm 
as  the  ocean  rock,  which  neither  tempest  nor  the  slow, 
still,  constant  dripping  of  the  waters  can  bend  or  shake. 
We  should  do  more;  thus  prepared,  thus  convinced  of 
truth,  we  should  find  that  every  argument  others  might 
employ,  every  book  we  might  be  persuaded  to  peruse, 
would  but  strengthen  conviction  in  the  faith  of  Israel; 
charity  to  them  indeed  would  increase;  for  the  more  we 
studied  of  their  belief,  the  more  we  should  feel  the  veil 
cast  upon  them  is  indeed  of  God.*     Never  has  the  He- 

suredly  do  so  to  the  person  who  has  received  instruction;  but  it  re- 
quires no  argument  to  prove  that  difference  of  education  makes  people 
take  different  views  of  the  sacred  Text;  or  else  all  readers  of  the  Bible 
would  entertain  the  same  doctrines  and  pursue  one  course  of  conduct. 
Is  this  the  case?  Certainly  the  Scriptures  should  constitute  the  daily 
exercise  of  every  Israelite ;  but  the  interpretations,  dogmas,  and  opi- 
nions of  our  ancients  should  not  be  neglected ;  ay,  tradition  is  the  firm 
support  of  the  Unity  of  God.  Say,  if  you  will,  that  Rabbins  have  oc- 
casionally promulgated  things  of  no  value;  yet  would  this  constitute 
no  argument  against  the  good  they  have  left  us.  They  teach  nothing 
opposed  to  the  most  elevated  piety  ;  faith,  hope,  and  charity  are  doc- 
trines of  theirs  no  less  than  of  the  Nazarene  code,  and  it  remains  to  be 
proved,  that  a  strict  conformity  to  form,  ceremony,  or  outward  re- 
ligion in  general  is  in  the  least  injurious  to  moral  perfectibility.  I  do 
not  believe  that  my  friend  meant  to  cast  blame  upon  our  ancient  re- 
ligious teachers ;  but  that  she  only  used  the  above  expression  in  a 
general,  indefinite  manner,  without  weighing  the  whole  force  her  words 
might  receive.  I  am  no  advocate  for  any  abuses  introduced  under 
Rabbinical  rule ;  but  I  am  far  more  opposed  to  the  notion  of  certain 
moderns  who  would  reject  all  for  a  few  blemishes  incident  more  to  the 
times  in  which  our  teachers  lived  and  taught,  than  to  any  absolute  de- 
fects in  their  systems.  No  one  would  pull  down  his  house,  because  a 
few  stones  were  discoloured,  when  a  slight  labour  might  remedy  the 
defect.  So  let  us  be  cautious,  how  we  reject  tradition,  because  of  the 
few  incongruities  it  may  occasionally  present. — I.  L. 

*  This  and  the  succeeding  paragraph  is  not  a  mere  fanciful  hypo- 
thesis of  the  author  alone;  it  owes  its  foundation  alike  to  constant  ob- 
servation and  personal  experience. 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  29 

brew,  glorying  in,  and  openly  professing  the  belief  of  his 
fathers,  not  merely  attending  to  form,  but  proving  the 
spirit  which  guides  and  aids  him,  failed  to  gather  round 
him  the  respect  and  admiration  of  every  Christian  whose 
respect  is  something  worth.  It  is  those  who  by  mean 
and  petty  manoeuvres  seek  to  hide  their  faith,  who  are 
ashamed  of  it  themselves,  who  draw  down  the  contempt 
and  pity  of  all  they  would  deceive,  and  this  not  on  them- 
selves alone,  but  unfortunately  on  the  whole  nation. 

Why  should  we  so  condemn  the  custom  of  seeking  con- 
verts? If  but  to  too  many  the  Jewish  religion  is  allowed 
to  bring  no  comfort,  no  devotion,  no  spirit,  and  it  is  from 
those  misguided  ones,  the  whole  religion  is  regarded : 
why  should  we  be  so  angry  with  the  wish  to  lead  us  where 
these  blessings  are  supposed  to  be  found?  If  there  be 
aught  to  condemn,  it  is  the  lukewarmness  and  ignorance 
of  those  of  our  own  people,  who  declare  there  is  no  com- 
fort, no  spirit  in  their  faith.  Oh,  "if,"  as  an  elegant 
writer  observes,  ''men  of  all  creeds  would  seek  not  points 
of  difference  but  points  of  agreement,  how  much  of  the  strife 
and  bitterness  that  deform  God's  earth  would  disappear; 
mutual  ignorance  it  is,  that  but  too  often  produces  mu- 
tual alienation."*  And  in  this  case,  i.e.  by  the  common 
fellowship  of  Jew  and  Christian,  the  truth  of  this  obser- 
vation would  indeed  be  made  evident.  The  points  of 
difference  between  us,  impassable,  all-important  as  they 
are,  are  yet  few,  and  need  never  be  brought  forward; 
while"  the  points  of  agreement  are  many,  so  many  that 
our  conversation  might  ever  be  of  our  mutual  Father 
who  is  in  heaven,  of  His  glorious  works,  and  attributes, 
and  love — though  that  in  which  we  differ  never  mingled 


■'^  Preface  to  Miss  Goldsmid's  translation  of  twelve  of  Dr.  Salomon's 

Sermons. 

3* 


30  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

with  it.  And  it  is  this,  this  universal  charity,  this  self- 
humiliation,  which  is  the  duty,  the  retrospect  of  our 
history  commands. 


CHAPTER   II. 


DEFINITION    OF    THE    WORD    HEART — LOVE    OF   GOD    CON- 
SIDERED   AS   IT   REGARDS   THE   AFFECTIONS. 

"And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  might" 
are  the  impressive  words  which  follow  the  proclamation 
of  unity  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, — ''Blessed  be  the  name 
of  the  glory  of  His  kingdom,"  which  we  find  between 
these  two  verses  in  our  prayer  books,  being  the  usual 
ejaculation  of  thanksgiving  used  by  the  ancient  fathers 
of  our  race,  whenever  they  have  had  occasion  to  utter 
the  holy  name  of  God. 

It  is  Moses  who  is  speaking;  Moses  who,  addressing 
his  fellow-countrymen,  would,  in  the  brief  eloquent  words 
above  quoted,  instruct  them  in  what  manner  they  must 
love  their  God;  and  it  would  be  well  perhaps,  ere  we 
endeavour  to  explain  the  respective  meaning  of  his  thrice 
emphatic  terms,  to  pause  an  instant  on  the  character  of 
that  man,  greater  than  any  other  in  the  annals  of  the 
Bible.* 

On  Moses  the  spirit  of  God  rested,  not  only  inspiring 
him  as  a  lawgiver,  guiding  him  as  a  leader,  but  signaliz- 
ing him  as  a  prophet,  greater  than  any  who  came  after 
him,  unlike  any  inspired  spirit  that  went  before  him.    To 

*  And  not  those  of  the  world? — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  31 

the  propliets  who  succeeded  him  God  spoke  in  dreams 
and  visions,  to  Moses  He  deigned  to  commune  face  to 
face;  He  disclosed  His  glory,  He  passed  before  him, 
proclaiming  those  attributes  which  from  age  to  age  have 
been  the  support,  the  stay,  the  consolation  of  individuals 
and  of  worlds; — He  singled  him  out,  not  only  to  pro- 
phesy regarding  the  future,  but  to  threaten  and  to  do ; 
to  hold,  as  it  were,  in  his  mortal  hand,  the  judgments  of 
the  Lord — to  be  to  the  Egyptians  the  rod  of  vengeance — 
to  the  Israelites  the  minister  of  love. 

Through  this  faithful  servant  God  deigned  to  give  not 
only  religious  but  moral  laws.  Each  law  that  he  deli- 
vered, e  ch  command  that  he  enforced,  came  from  the 
inspiration  of  the  Lord.  Moses  was,  if  we  may  use  the 
expression  without  profanation,  the  mouth  of  God.  He 
did  but  speak  words  which  were  put  into  his  mouth,  he 
did  but  issue  laws  which  God  had  framed. 

Yet  there  are  some  who  deny  this;  who  believe  the 
laws  thus  given  merely  the  invention  of  Moses,  a  man, 
who,  presuming  on  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  the 
rescued  nation,  framed  a  number  of  laws  to  keep  them 
distinct,  and  imposed  them  upon  the  people  as  the  laws 
of  a  Supreme  Being.  But  then  it  follows,  that  those  who 
thus  believe,  if  indeed  there  really  be  such,  must  deny 
all  faith  in  the  Bible;  they  must  refuse  all  credence  in 
the  redemption  from  Egypt,  in  the  miraculous  agency  of 
a  superintending  Power.  They  must  regard  the  Bible 
as  human,  not  divine;  and  in  so  doing  they  know  not, 
they  cannot  know,  the  host  of  evils  they  congregate 
around  them.  They  forswear  the  sanctity  of  the  ten 
commandments;  they  annihilate  morality;  for  if  the 
Bible  is  the  work  of  finite  man,  on  what  do  we  base  our 
morality?  Not  on  individual  conscience,  for  conscience 
is  an  effect ^  not  a  cause;  they  darken  the  light  gleaming 


o2  THE    SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM. 

on  us  from  the  Fount  of  mercy — and,  deserting  the  foun- 
tain of  living  waters,  call  upon  themselves  the  curse  de- 
nounced against  those  who  "  hewed  them  cisterns,  broken 
cisterns  that  will  hold  no  water." 

Yet  some  will  urge  that  it  does  not  follow,  because 
they  profess  to  believe  that  many  of  the  laws  of  Moses 
were  of  man  and  not  of  God,  they  reject  the  whole  of 
the  inspired  writings.  I  know  not  how  they  can  draw  a 
line;  but  granting  that  they  do  so,  would  any  man,  who 
from  the  mouth  of  God  received  some  laws,  dare  himself 
to  frame  others  in  God's  name?  Would  that  man,  who 
by  the  mere  word  of  his  mouth,  to  all  human  seeming, 
sent  ten  plagues  on  Egypt,  and  by  these  miracles  knew 
himself  a  chosen  instrument  of  God;  who  beheld  the 
burning  bush,  who  received  the  ten  commandments  in 
the  midst  of  thunders  and  lightnings,  which  were  beheld 
afar  off  by  the  assembled  people;  the  man  before  whom 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  passed  by — would  he  be  so  pre- 
sumptuous as  at  once  to  disobey  the  third  commandment, 
and,  by  framing  new  laws  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  take 
the  sacred  name  of  God  in  vain?  The  character  of 
Moses,  as  displayed  in  the  sacred  writings,  is  completely 
contrary  to  this  supposition.  If  blame  could  be  attached 
to  him,  it  was  more  for  diffidence  than  presumption. 
We  know  that  even  when  in  direct  communion  with  his 
Maker,  when  assured  by  the  Lord  Himself  of  sufficient 
strength  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  important  task, 
he  still  hesitated,  still  painfully  felt  how  little  capable 
he  was  of  himself  for  the  mission  proposed.  ''Oh  my 
Lord,  I  am  not  eloquent,"  was  his  pleading  cry — ''neither 
heretofore,  nor  since  Thou  hast  spoken  to  thy  servant, 
but  I  am  slow  of  speech  and  of  a  slow  tongue."  Nay, 
he  permitted  this  painful  sense  of  inferiority  to  obtain 


THE  SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  33 

too  much  ascendency;  for  even  when  the  word  of  the 
Lord  had  passed,  that  He  would  be  with  the  month  of 
His  servant,  and  teach  him  what  to  say,  Moses  still  en- 
treated the  Lord  to  choose  some  other,  to  send  bv  some 
other  hand.  And  was  it  likely  the  character  of  this 
man  would  become  so  changed,  that  in  a  few  years  he 
would  so  shake  off  the  guiding  yoke  of  God,  as  himself 
to  make  laws,  and  in  his  own  strength  impose  them  on 
his  countrymen  ?  We  have  proof  there  was  no  such 
miraculous  change. 

''Wherefore  criest  thou  unto  me?"  saith  the  Lord,  in 
Exodus  xiv.  15; — and  what  would  these  words  reveal? 
That  even  when  in  the  very  act  of  cheering  the  people 
of  Israel,  by  the  promise  that  they  should  see  the  salva- 
tion of  the  Lord,  that  God  Himself  would  iight  for  them, 
— that  even  comforted  as  his  spirit  must  have  been  by 
the  miracles  already  wrought  in  their  favour; — still,  still, 
his  heart  must  have  been  wrestling  in  secret  prayer, 
still  that  consciousness  of  his  own  weakness,  his  own  in- 
capacity, must  have  been  at  work  within,  or  the  Lord 
would  not  thus  have  addressed  him:  "  Wherefore  criest 
thou  unto  me  ?"  He  heard  that  anguished  cry  for  help, 
for  guidance,  though  by  man  it  was  unheard. 

Again,  as  a  farther  proof  that  the  inward  character  of 
this  great  and  good  man  underwent  no  change,  we  find 
him  earnestly  beseeching  the  Lord :  "  If  thy  presence  go 
not  with  me,  carry  us  not  up  hence."  This  is  in  Exodus 
xxxiii.  When  Moses  had  experienced  innumerable  proofs 
of  God's  all-sruidino;  hand:  after  he  had  received  from 
Him  the  ten  commandments,  and  the  minor  laws  given 
at  the  same  time;  after  manna  had  fallen,  and  water  had 
pushed  from  the  stony  rock  at  his  prayer;  after  repeated 
manifestations  that,  despite  his  internal  consciousness  of 


34  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

inferiority  and  humility,  he  was  still  the  chosen  friend 
and  well-beloved  servant  of  his  God; — notwithstanding 
all  this,  he  is  yet  so  fully  sensible  that  of  himself  he  is 
nothing,  that  he  would  forswear  the  privilege  of  carrying 
his  people  up  to  the  Promised  Land,  if  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  went  not  with  him,  to  give  him  strength  and 
aid.  Is  this,  then,  the  man  whose  mind  was  sufficiently 
gigantic,  not  alone  to  frame  the  code  of  laws  transmitted 
to  us  in  the  Bible,  but  whose  mental  strength  and  energy 
enabled  him  to  impose  them  as  divine  upon  the  people? 
Even  allowing  that  there  was  policy  in  giving  to  others 
all  the  stations  of  eminence  and  pomp,  and  retaining 
none  for  himself  or  his  sons:  it  appears  to  me  quite  im- 
possible to  read  the  character  of  Moses  with  any  degree 
of  attention  without  feeling  convinced  that  it  was  infused 
strength,  inspired  eloquence,  which  made  him  what  he 
was;  that  of  himself  he  was  timid,  yielding,  even  weak, 
with  every  hope  and  wish  centred  in  the  welfare  of  his 
persecuted  brethren,  without  sufficient  strength  to  benefit 
them  either  by  his  arm  or  counsels.  We  hear  nothing 
of  Moses  before  he  was  called  and  commissioned  by 
God,  except  indeed  the  indignant  act  which  avenged  the 
smiting  of  an  Israelite  on  the  Egyptian,  and  his  endea- 
vour to  keep  peace  between  his  brethren.  And  this  was 
not  the  dawnings  of  a  Lycurgus,  or  a  Draco,  a  Cromwell, 
or  a  Napoleon ;  it  was  simply  the  impulse  of  an  excited 
youth,  whose  thoughts  were  indeed  engaged  on  the  mise- 
ries around  him,  but  who  dreamed  not  of  himself  as  their 
redeemer  and  deliverer.  We  know  this  from  his  ingenuous 
reply  when  first  called:  "What  am  I,  that  I  should  go 
unto  Pharaoh,  and  that  I  should  bring  forth  the  children 
of  Israel  out  of  Egypt?"  This  was  not  the  reply  of  one 
who  felt  the  incipient  stirrings  of  ambition,  who  beheld 


THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.     - 

himself  in  fancy  already  a  lawgiver  and  a  leader.*  It 
was  one  fully  and  painfully  conscious  of  his  own  nothing- 
ness, and  distrusting  his  own  capabilities  to  serve  the 
Lord  as  his  heart  dictated.  Self-distrust  is  not  an  ele- 
ment of  ambition,  or  of  a  mind  able  of  itself  to  do  all 
that  Moses  did;  yet  we  see  it  the  strongest  ingredient 
in  his  character;  and  drawing  conclusions  from  that  cir- 
cumstance alone,  we  tnust  believe  God  framed  every  law 
mentioned  in  the  Mosaic  books,  or  none. 

We  allude  not  to  the  Oral  Law,  nor  would  we  enter 
into  the  wild  labyrinth  of  pros  and  cons,  with  which  this 
question  is  now  agitating  the  whole  Jewish  nation.  Our 
aim  is  simply  to  explain  the  words  of  the  Bible,  to  prove 
those  words  are  not  the  words  of  finite  man,  but  the  in- 
spiration of  a  merciful  Father,  whose  omniscience,  aware 
of  the  wide  barrier  which  sin  would  raise  between  His 
people  and  Himself,  permitted  and  inspired  His  chosen 
servants  to  compile  a  volume  which  would  be  the  ladder 
between  earth  and  heaven;  the  uniting  link  between  the 
immortal  spirit,  and  its  immortal  resting-place;  the  mes- 
sage of  love  from  a  pitying  Father  to  His  repentant  and 
believing  children.'  This  is  the  Bible,  the  whole  Bible, 
not  the  Mosaic  books  alone.  In  them  we  find  our  guide 
to  the  religion  and  morality  most  pleasing  unto  God.  If 
that  religion,  that  morality  were  the  work  of  man,  why 
should  it  have  thus  outlasted  every  other  in  the  world  ? 
Egypt,  Greece,  Rome,  boasted  each  of  their  lawgivers, 
their  archives,  their  glories; — yet  all  have  passed  away, 
and  not  a  trace  remains,  save  those  stupendous  monu- 


*  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  Moses  was  already  eighty  years  old 
when  he  received  his  commission  to  deliver  his  fellow- Israelites  from 
bondage,  and  that  he  was  at  the  same  time  a  fugitive  from  justice  by 
his  offence  against  the  laws  of  Egypt. — I.  L, 


36  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

ments  of  antiquity  whicli  tell  us,  ''such  things  have  been." 
Is  it  so  with  the  law  of  Moses,  with  the  people  he  was 
the  instrument  of  redeeming?  Scattered  they  are  indeed, 
all  over  the  known  world;  but  that  very  dispersion  is  the 
unanswerable  proof  of  the  truth  and  inspiration  of  the 
Bible; — for  the  law,  in  its  essentials,  is  as  it  was  vouch- 
safed; and  prophecy  in  this  dispersion  is  strikingly  and 
mournfully  fulfilled. 

There  is  no  ground  for  the  assertion,  that  the  awful 
solemnity  and  holy  pomp  which  characterized  the  be- 
stowal of  the  ten  commandments,  marked  the  giving  of 
all  the  other  laws.  It  signifies  little  whether  Moses  re- 
ceived them  literally  from  the  mouth  of  the  Lord,  or  felt 
within  his  soul  the  infused  eloquence  and  wisdom,  which 
impelled  and  enabled  him  to  proclaim  them  to  his  coun- 
trymen. Every  page  of  the  Bible  breathes  the  voice  of 
God;  as  Ilis  law  we  may  endeavour  to  explain  it,  so 
that,  by  the  aid  of  lowly  prayer,  it  may  fall  with  weight 
on  the  heart  of  each  individual,  to  strike  home  to  one  of 
the  many  chords  which  the  human  heart  contains.  The 
law  of  a  man,  a  finite  mortal,  whose  every  thought  is 
bounded,  lost  in  infinity,  can  only  be  looked  on  word  for 
word  as  it  is  written ;  it  can  have  no  power  to  soothe  or 
to  console.  A  man  may  err,  God  cannot;  a  man  may 
change,  nay,  the  wind  is  not  more  variable  than  his 
capricious  spirit ;  God,  whose  name  is  truth,  knows  not 
change,  is  immutably  infallible,  and  His  law  is  like  Him- 
self, changeless  and  eternal — so  uniting  morality  with 
religion,  that  one  cannot  be  perfect  in  the  heart  which 
knows  not  the  other.  And  yet,  only  too  many  raise  a 
rude  barrier  between  them,  and  say  religion  is  too  serious, 
too  holy  a  thing,  to  be  mixed  up  with  the  thoughts,  and 
desires,  and  pleasures,  and  occupations  of  this  world, 
and  so  far  off  do  they  enshrine  her,  with  so  thick  a  wall 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  37 

do  they  enclose  lier,  that  no  glimmering  of  her  golden 
light  can  shine  upon  their  daily  work,  and  not  one  ray 
will  she  bestow  on  those  who  seek  her  but  at  stated  in- 
tervals, ''few  and  far  between."  No  glowing  warmth 
can  attend  such  devotion.  0  when  will  these  errors 
cease  to  be?  when  will  men  break  down  this  darkened 
barrier,  and  so  love  their  Gocf  with  heart,  and  soul,  and 
might,  that  religion  shall  desert  her  lofty  and  inaccessible 
retreat,  and  mingle  in  the  world?  When  this  thing  shall 
be,  then  indeed  may  we  hope  that  blessed  day  is  drawing 
near,  when  we  ''  shall  not  say,  Know  ye  the  Lord,  for 
they  shall  all  know  me,  from  the  least  of  them  unto  the 
greatest  of  them,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  forgive  their 
iniquity,  and  remember  their  sin  no  more." 

Yet,  it  may  be  urged,  there  was  no  religion  that  de- 
manded more  pomp  and  ceremonial  than  the  Jewish, 
that  the  great  holiness  surrounding  it  is  the  reason  of  its 
distance  from  us :  still  the  same  faithful  servant,  who  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  clothed  the  public  ritual  with  such 
imposing  grandeur,  also  said,  "And  thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul, 
and  with  all  thy  might ;" — a  command  over  and  over  again 
repeated,  and  one  utterly  impossible  to  be  obeyed,  if  we 
keep  religion  at  the  distance  but  too  many  deem  neces- 
sary. These  three  terms,  heart,  and  soul,  and  might, 
are  not  repetitions  of  the  same  meaning,  used  to  enforce 
the  command.  Regarding  carefully  their  respective  sig- 
nifications, we  shall  perceive  they  are  used,  more  clearly 
to  define  the  love  which  God  demands,  and  the  proofs 
which  that  love  includes. 

What  does  the  word  heart  signify  when  used  in  this 
sense,  either  towards  God  or  man?  "The  Scripture," 
says  Cocceius,  "attributes  to  the  heart  thoughts,  reason- 
ings, understanding,  will,  judgment,  designs,  afi"ection3, 

4 


38  THE    SPIRIT    OF    JUDAISM. 

love,  hatred,  fear,  joy,  sorrow,  anger;  because  when 
these  things  are  in  a  man  a  motion  is  perceived  about 
the  heart."*  We  are  to  understand  by  this  quaint  yet 
expressive  sentence,  that  the  word  heart  is  used  in  Scrip- 
ture, when  either  of  the  above  attributes  is  implied  ;  and 
indeed,  if  w^e  carefully  consider  the  sacred  writings,  we 
shall  find  that  it  is  so.  *  Moses  makes  use  of  it,  in  the 
mandate  we  are  regarding,  as  the  seat  of  the  affections, 
the  deepest,  strongest,  dearest  shrine  of  love,  including 
zeal,  memory,  thought,  imagination,  reverence,  all  that 
would  exalt,  purify,  endear  the  feeling  and  its  object. 
And  who  is  there  that  knows  not  the  full  meanins;  of  the 
term,  to  love  with  all  his  heart,  when  that  term  is  applied 
to  human  bein2;s,  mortals  like  himself?  Do  we  not  look 
upon  their  smallest  action  with  delight,  with  admiration, 
believe  them  gifted  with  rare  excellence,  with  extraordi- 
nary virtue,  so  dwell  upon  the  perfections  of  those  we 
thus  love,  that  we  feel  we  ourselves  sink  into  nothing 
before  them?  Would  we  not  do  any  thing  to  preserve 
their  affection?  Nay,  we  lose  not  these  ardent  feelings, 
even  when  for  a  time  the  beloved  countenance  is  dark- 
ened towards  us.  Are  there  indeed  those,  who  know 
not  what  it  is,  thus  to  love  ?  Surely  not  amongst  the 
young,  the  warm-hearted,  be  they  the  loving  bride,  the 
youthful  mother,  the  faithful  friend.  Nay,  even  the 
sterner  sex  are  capable  of  such  emotion;  they  love  not, 
indeed,  with  the  deep  clinging  devotedness  of  woman, 
whose  very  helplessness  calls  for  such  strong  feeling ; 
but  there  are  some,  even  amongst  them,  who  might  not 
think  we  have  sketched  love  too  strongly.  And  if  such 
can  be  excited  towards  a  fellow-being, — 0  shall  we  deny 
it  to  our  God  ? 

*  Hebrew  Lexicon,  by  John  Parkh'urst,  M.A.  Article  2i  beart. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  39 

Surely  we,  even  more  than  the  Nazarene,  have  cause 
to  feel, — "  We  love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us."  Who 
loves  us,  who  tends  us,  who  bears  with  our  iniquities, 
and  chides  us,  in  such  long-suffering  compassion,  as  God 
does?  In  the  words  of  Moses,  ''What  nation  hath  God 
so  near  to  us  as  we  have?"  Will  not  our  whole  history- 
proclaim  His  deep,  unchanging,  and  unfailing  love  ?  Will 
not  the  written  evidence  of  Moses,  nay  even  of  those 
before  him — Abraham,  Joseph,  and  of  David,  Isaiah, 
Malachi,  all  unite  in  proving  that  God  is  love?  Nay, 
has  He  not  Himself  proclaimed  it  in  those  blessed  words 
with  which  He  describes  Himself  to  Moses,  when  He 
passed  by  before  him — "The  Lord,  the  Lord  God,  mer- 
ciful and  gracious,  long-suffering  and  abundant  in  good- 
ness and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving 
iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin"?  This  is  the  God  the 
Nazarenes  emphatically  call  love;  this  is  their  God  and 
OUR  God,  for  it  is  from  us — from  us  alone — from  the 
revelation  He  vouchsafed  to  us,  that  they  have  learned 
in  part  to  know  Him ;  and  oh  shall  we  fail  in  rendering 
Him  that  tribute  they  are  so  anxious  to  bestow?  Shall 
we  by  our  lukewarmness  tacitly  allow,  there  is  truth  in 
what  they  allege,  that  they  have  more  cause  to  love  Him 
than  lue  have?  No,  oh  no!  let  us  not  hesitate  any 
more;  let  us  give  Him  that  which  He  demands,  our 
whole  heart — enshrine  Him  there — not  lavish  on  mortals, 
however  deserving,  all  those  affections  He  has  granted 
us.  Let  us  prove  by  our  whole  lives,  we  love  Him, 
becatise  indeed  He  first  loved  us,  ay,  and  carried  us,  and 
bore  with  us  from  the  days  of  old. 

But  how  can  we  do  this?  Wdl  not  this  love  create 
familiarity  in  our  intercourse  with  Him  who  is  indeed 
holiest  amidst  the  holy?  Surely  not;  in  seeking  to  do 
our  respective  duties  wherever  we  are  placed  for  love  of 


40  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

Him,  because  we  hope  it  will  be  pleasing  unto  Him; 
in  using  our  talents  as  His  gifts,  using  them  in  Him, 
that  is,  employing  them  for  those  ends  v/hich  will  pro- 
care  us  His  blessing;  in  thinking  of  and  blessing  Him 
for  the  joys  and  comforts  of  mutual  affection,  loving  our 
fellow-creatures  in  Him: — is  this  likely  to  breed  undue 
familiarity?  Will  this  deprive  Him  of  His  holiness? 
Those  who  have  experienced  the  unspeakable  consolation 
of  this  intimate  communion  w^ould  tell  us,  the  effect  is 
quite  contrary  to  that,  which  those  who  know  Him  not 
thus  suppose.  A  precious  ray  of  that  unutterable  holi- 
ness indeed  descends  on  them;  but  His  holiness  is  in- 
creased according  to  the  measure  of  their  love. 

It  is  not  indeed  natural  to  man  in  his  present  imper- 
fect state  thus  to  love  his  God.  The  most  pious,  the 
most  ardent  followers  of  His  law,  find  it  difficult  to  give 
Him  their  whole  heart.  It  demands  long  years  of  watch- 
ing, of  struggling,  and  of  prayer.  Disappointment  and 
discouragement  appall  us  on  every  side;  for  the  more* 
we  strive  to  know  and  love  the  Lord,  the  more  fearfully 
our  own  imperfections,  our  own  secret  sins,  stand  before 
us — the  more  clearly  do  we  find  even  of  those  actions 
we  hoped  were  good,  the  motives  are  but  too  often  im- 
pure. Who  are  they  whom  we  find  strong  in  their  own 
strength,  and  smiling  to  scorn  those  who  acknowledge 
and  deplore  their  liability  to  temptation  and  to  sin? 
Who?  but  those  who  know  not,  love  not,  think  not  of 

*  "  The  more  exalted,"  say  our  wise  men,  "  a  man  is  above  his  fellow, 
the  greater  will  be  his  inclination  to  sin."  Again,  "The  more  man  in- 
creases in  righteousness,  the  stronger  becomes  his  propensity  to  evil, 
and  unless  the  Lord  gave  him  His  aid,  he  alone  could  not  escape 
the  power  of  sin."  In  this  manner  did  our  predecessors  endeavour  to 
inculcate  humility  in  the  pious  even,  and  to  check  the  presumption 
which  we  not  rarely  feel  when  we  attain,  or  fancy  we  attain,  any  de- 
gree of  excellence. — I.  L. 


.THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  41 

tlieir  G-od.  While  those  wlio  seek  Hira,  weak  in  seem- 
ing, shrinking  and  lowly,  fearing  temptation,  turning  in 
trembling  eagerness  to  prayer  for  strength  and  aid — 
strong  only  in  their  trust  in  Him — are  in  truth  the 
servants  whom  He  loves,  and  whose  hearts  are  turning 
towards  Him.  But  shall  these  difficulties  deter  us? 
Shall  we  turn  from  the  blessed  goal,  from  the  gates  of 
heaven,  because  the  path  is  dark  and  rugged?  "The 
race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong;" 
and  while  the  consciousness  of  difficulty  must  convince 
us  of  innate  sin — that  our  natural  desires  since  the  fall 
of  man  are  the  evil,  not  the  good — that  our  best  affec- 
tions, our  most  fervent  prayers,  are  imperfect  without 
the  purifying  grace  of  God — consequently  that  our  sal- 
vation cannot  be  achieved  by  our  own  righteousness,  but 
through  the  infinite  and  redeeming  compassion*  of  the 
Eternal,  whose  love  is  our  ransom:  we  must  also  feel 
how  much  depends  on  perseverance,  and  watching,  and 
prayer,  to  prove  we  desire  and  long  for  the  mercy  of  our 
God  to  be  vouchsafed  us,  to  prove  we  indeed  long  and 
try  to  love  Him  with  a  whole  and  perfect  heart. 


*  Without  divine  mercy  no  man  could  be  saved  ;  because  every  man 
is  sinful  at  one  period  or  the  other,  either  by  committing  the  wrong  or 
omitting  deeds  of  righteousness  which  are  in  his  power  to  accomplish. 
Nevertheless  no  one  can  be  saved,  who  merely  relies  upon  divine  mercy 
and  prayer ;  for  the  faith  which  should  induce  us  to  look  to  the  Supreme 
for  assistance  and  duly  to  appreciate  our  own  nothingness  in  His  sight, 
should  likewise  impel  us  to  obey  the  precepts  of  Scripture,  these  being 
the  emanations  of  the  God  of  love.  And  so  says  the  prophet  (Ezek. 
XX.  11,  12):  "And  I  gave  them  my  statutes,  and  showed  them  my 
judgment,  which  if  a  man  do,  he  shall  even  live  in  them.  Moreover, 
also,  I  gave  them  my  sabbaths,  to  be  a  sign  between  me  and  them, 
that  they  might  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  that  sanctify  them."  We 
therefore  say,  that  without  active  religion  there  can  be  no  salvation 
for  Israel ;  for  the  words  are  "which  if  a  man  do,  he  shall  even  live  in 
them."— I.  L. 


42  THE    SPIRIT    OF    JUDAISM. 

But  how  are  we  to  teacli  our  hearts  to  love  Him? 
By  dwelling  upon  His  infinite  perfections;  by  lingering 
on  the  pages  of  His  blessed  word,  till  by  prayer  and 
faith  we  can  realize  the  Bible  as  a  message  of  love  and 
mercy ;  not  merely  addressed  to  a  nation,  but  to  each 
of  us  individually  and  apart.  It  is  impossible  to  peruse 
the  Psalms  and  Prophets  with  any  degree  of  trust  and 
attention,  without  feeling  conscious  of  this  truth,  with- 
out being  enabled  to  apply  every  prayer  and  promise  to 
our  own  individual  wants  and  tempers.  There  it  is  v/e 
first  learn  to  know  Him  as  love;  and  when  once  we 
have  realized  this  truth,  when  once  we  can  feel  and  be- 
lieve the  love  He  bears  us  individually  is  deeper,  dearer, 
than  the  dearest  borne  to  us  on  earth, — that  no  change, 
no  caprice  can  dim  that  long-suffering  love — that  not 
even  our  own  transgressions  can  shake  it,  if  we  trust  in 
Him;  that  His  eye  is  ever  on  us,  His  arm  around  us, 
His  ear  open  to  our  faintest  sigh;  that  He  feels  every 
pang  we  feel ;  that  He  knows  every  secret  throb  and  silent 
tear,  which  man  may  never  know; — if  we  dwell  on  these 
blessed  truths,  surely  it  will  be  easy  to  love  Him.  It  is 
difficult  to  love  Him  with  all  our  heart,  if  we  only  look 
upon  it  as  a  command  laid  on  us,  which  we  must  obey; 
but  it  is  easy,  if  we  think  how  we  are  loved  by  Him. 

The  human  heart  is  attracted  by  virtue  in  man,  good- 
ness, charity — not  .the  mere  charity  of  relieving  the 
afflicted — but  charity  towards  the  failings  and  follies  of 
our  neighbours,  the  charity  'Hhat  covereth  transgres- 
sion," kindness,  holiness,  purity,  truth,  forgiveness  of  in- 
jury, magnanimity;  these  are  the  qualities  that  call  for 
admiration,  and  love,  and  reverence,  and  seldom  call  for 
it  in  vain;  these  are  the  qualities  on  which  the  mind  so 
loves  to  dw'<3ll,  that  the  young  and  enthusiastic  but  too 
often  frame  an  ima^inarv  idol,  and  so  weave  it  in  their 


THE  SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  43 

affections,  that  their-  path  is  lonely  through  life,  for  they 
seek  what  they  find  not  in  man.  Seldom"^  does  a  mortal 
nnite  all  these  glorious  attributes,  and  it  is  sad  when  the 
dreams  of  the  young  enthusiast  are  chilled  and  blunted. 
But  if  these  qualities  attract  so  much  love,  even  in  the 
small  measure  in  which  man  possesses  them :  will  they 
not  demand  yet  stronger  feeling  towards  Him,  holiest 
among  the  holy,  who  unites  them  all,  whose  divine  at- 
tributes in  their  infinity  are  too  glorious  for  human  ima- 
gination to  conceive?  Is  He  not  ever  merciful  and 
ever  loving?  Is  He  not  ever  ''ready  to  forgive"?  Ay, 
day  by  day,  and  hour  by  hour,  loving  where  He  is  not 
loved?  Showing  mercy  unto  thousands  that  seek  Him 
not?  Holy,  pure,  and  true,  till  thought  is  lost  in  the 
infinity  of  His  perfections?  Does  not  His  goodness  aa 
far  exceed  that  of  man,  as  the  sands  on  the  sea-shore,  a 
single  grain?  as  the  glorious  sun  excels  the  feeble  light 
by  which  the  peasant  cheers  his  dwelling?  If  we  love 
these  attributes  in  man,  shall  we  disregard  them  in  our 
God?  Shall  the  soaring  mind  sink  back  dispirited  and 
chilled,  because  these  glorious  qualities  are  found  not, 
as  fancy  painted  them,  in  man, — when  He  the  holiest, 
the  Lord  of  truth  and  love,  calleth  loudly  for  the  heart 
that  lonp^s  to  rest  on  virtue?  0  let  not  the  vouthful 
spirit  seek  perfection  upon  earth:, let  him  indeed  love 
those  where  holiness  and  virtue  dwell,  for  there  are 
many  such;  but  let  him  turn  to  his  God  alone  for  the 
perfection  of  all  that  is  beautiful,  all  that  is  glorious,  all 
that  is  pure,  and  true,  and  holy — all  that  can  attract 
the  mind  and  fill  it. 

If  the  simplest  action  of  those  we  love  best  on  earth 
calls  for  our  praise  and  admiration,  will  not  these  emo- 

*  Or  never  ? 


44  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

tions  be  yet  more  warmly  excited  wlien  we  look  on  the 
magnificent  works  of  God?  Can  the  created  vie  with 
the  Creator?  Yet  the  works  of  man  often  justly  call  for 
reverence  and  love;  and  shall  the  works  of  God  do  less? 
True,  we  cannot  see  Him  and  live;  but  all  around  us  are 
traces  of  His  hand !  Who  has  not  felt  the  warm  glow  of 
the  wakening  heart,  kindling  into  love  and  rapture,  as 
'we  gaze  on  the  varied  fields  of  nature?  Does  He  not 
speak  in  the  roaring  cataract,  the  thundering  waves,  in 
the  howling  tempest,  the  devastating  blast?  Trace  we 
not  His  hand  in  the  rosy  glow,  the  touching  stillness  of 
early  dawn,  in  the  brilliant  clouds,  the  refreshing  breeze 
of  sunset,  the  myriads  of  stars,  the  silvery  moon  sailing 
in  the  dark-blue  heavens?  Do  we  not  hear  Him  in  the 
still,  yet  emphatic  eloquence  of  night,  ay,  in  the  ripple 
of  the  brook,  in  the  song  of  the  bird,  in  the  meek  beauty 
of  a  glistening  flower?  Are  not  these  the  works  of  His 
hands,  renewed  around  us  day  by  day,  as  emblems  of 
His  changeless.  His  untiring  love?  And  can  we  pass 
them  by,  with  hearts  unmoved,  affections  dormant?  Even 
to  those  pent  up  midst  city-walls  there  are  traces  of  His 
hand.  Can  we  look  on  the  millions  of  beings  passing  to 
and  fro,  the  form  and  face  of  each  so  wonderfully  dis- 
tinct, so  indefinably  varied,  that  one  can  never  be  taken 
for  another — with  minds  respectively  stored,  according 
to  the  station  they  hold  in  life,  the  duties  they  must  fulfil, 
each  possessing  one  or  more  talents  peculiar  to  himself, 
characters  so  varied,  that  man  seeks  in  vain  for  perfect 
similarity  in  taste,  perfect  sympathy  on  earth?  Can  we 
pause  to  reflect  on  these  things,  and  yet  feel  no  expansion 
of  the  heart  and  its  affections  towards  Him  of  whom 
these  are  the  actions?  Can  we  not  trace  Him  in  .the 
city  as  in  the  field?  and  shall  our  whole  lives  pass  by, 
and  find  us  still  unconscious  of  His  love,  unanswering  to 


THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  45 

His  voice  ?  0  we  have  enough  to  call  for  reverence,  to 
wake  us  into  love,  if  we  would  but  think  a  while  on  Him, 
whose  meanest  attribute,  whose  simplest  work  would  yet 
be  all-sufficient  to  make  us  crive  Him  '%all  our  heart." 

o 

But  how  are  we  to  know  we  love  Him?  Shall  we  be 
conscious  when  our  hearts  are  indeed  becomings  His? 
Will  obedience  to  that  oft-repeated  command  to  love, 
and  serve,  and  fear  Him,  bring  with  it  its  own  reward? 
Assuredly  it  will.  We  have  but  to  seek  to  love  the 
Lord,  and  tenfold  will  be  that  love  returned  to  us.  It 
will  be  less  pain  to  give  up  our  dearest  wishes,  hopes, 
even  affections,  if  called  upon  to  do  so  (and  who  in  this 
world  is  not?),  if  we  have  so  loved  our  God  in  joy,  that 
we  can  realize  this  affliction  comes  from  Him,  and  must 
be  sent  in  love, — ay,  and  will  end  in  love,  though  our 
mortal  eye  can  trace  it  not.  We  love  Him  not,  if  we 
find  ourselves  in  secret  questioning  the  goodness  or  the 
wisdom  of  His  decrees;  murmuring  at  the  conflict;  trem- 
bling and  doubting  ere  we  obey.  We  love  Him  not,  if 
we  hesitate  between  inclination  and  duty,  when  our  de- 
sires clash,  as  they  but  too  often  do,  with  the  obedience 
His  law  demands.*  We  love  Him  not,  if  we  feel  not  that 
love  stronger,  more  consolingly  powerful,  when  afflictions 
and  sorrows  darken  the  lot  that  has  been  joyous.  The 
calm  and  tranquil  temper,  the  grateful  consciousness  of 
a  happy  lot,  which  characterize  some  minds  in  seasons 
of  uninterrupted  Drosperitv.  are  too  often  supposed  to 
be  ardent  love,  and  unchanging  faith  in  God;  but  if, 


*  And  how  is  such  faithlessness  visited  even  in  God's  own  elect  on 
earth,  elect  because  of  their  superior  righteousness  !  For  when  Moses 
and  Aaron  failed  in  their  duty,  they  were  told  that  they  should  not 
reach  the  promised  land.  "  Because  ye  believed  me  not  (put  faith  or 
trust  in  me)  to  sanctify  me  in  the  eyes  of  the  children  of  Israel." 
(Num.  XX.  12.)— I.  L. 


46  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

when  the  water-floods  swell  around  us,  when  the  tempest 
gathers  and  our  lives  grow  dark — if  then  this  calm  tran- 
quillity, this  grateful  consciousness,  depart,  we  have  not 
loved  our  God — it  has  been  but  the  peaceful  temperament 
of  our  hearts,  because  all  around  was  peace.  Affliction 
is  the  touchstone  by  which  we  can  discover  if  our  love 
be  true.  If,  even  while  nature  is  weak  and  shrinks  fear- 
fully and  mournfully  from  her  trial,  we  still  cling  to  our 
God,  still  feel  He  loves  even  while  He  chastiseth,  nay 
that  that  very  chastisement  is  a  proof  of  His  love — for 
'Svhom  the  Lord  loveth  He  correcteth;"  cling  to  Him 
as  the  loving  and  pitying  Friend  who  alone  can  aid  us; 
lift  up  to  Him  the  sinking  heart,  even  while  the  lips  can 
form  no  prayer;  trust  in  His  deep  changeless  love,  to 
supply  that  which  we  may  have  lost,  or  to  strengthen, 
bless,  console  us,  on  our  rugged  way;  cling  to  Him  the 
closer,  the  more  He  smiteth:  then,  then  indeed  have  we 
loved,  do  we  love  our  gracious  God,  and  tenfold  are  we 
blessed.  We  feel  not  the  deadly  sharpness  of  His  arrows, 
if  we  run  up  to  Him  and  clasp  His  robe.  The  shaft  in 
its  strength  can  only  reach  those  at  a  distance  who  scorn 
the  shadow  of  His  wiiio-s.  The  whirlwind  cannot  bliQ,"ht 
us  in  its  fury,  if  we  seek  shelter  beneath  the  shadow  of 
the  Pbock.  Not  that  those  who  love  their  God  are  more 
exempt  than  their  fellows  from  the  trials  and  sorrows 
of  this  life,  nor  that  they  feel  them  less;  we  are  not  forbid 
to  weep,  to  feel,  to  mourn.  Those  who  know  not  such 
emotions,  who  bear  the  severest  shocks  unmoved,  are 
not  rendered  so  by  religion;  they  are  cold,  of  a  calm 
and  stoic  nature,  which  nor  joy  nor  sorrow  moves.  Reli- 
gion is  strongest,  loveliest,  in  those  hearts  ever  susceptible 
to  emotion,  whether  of  pleasure  or  pain :  the  .love  of  their 
God  glows  warmest  in  such  bosoms;  and  it  is  to  them  it 
affords  its  richest  consolation;    not  lessening  the  pang 


THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  47 

of  sorrow,  but  leading  them  to  Him  who  sympathises 
in  their  every  sorrow,  who  is  afflicted  in  their  affliction, 
who  loves  them,  and  chastises  but  to  bless,  even  their 
Saviour  and  their  God,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  This 
is  the  reward  of  those  who  seek  to  love  their  God  with 
all  their  heart.  In  all  we  do  we  shall  remember  Him, 
without  whose  aid  we  can  do  nothing.  In  every  pleasure 
we  shall  remember  Him,  who  gave  us  health  and  strength, 
and  the  power  of  enjoying.  In  joy,  in  grief,  in  every 
change  of  life,  in  every  little  circumstance  which  may 
seem  the  offspring  of  chance,  we  shall  think  of  Him  in 
whose  government  there  is  no  chance.  Enshrined  in  our 
hearts,  the  deepest,  dearest,  strongest  seat  of  love,  every 
reasoning  faculty,  thought,  imagination,  zeal,  memory, — 
all  will  find  employment  in  the  contemplation  of  His 
infinite  perfections,  His  untiring,  never  ending  provi- 
dence. Memory  will  have  full  scope;  for  where  is  the 
life,  however  brief,  or  sunny,  or  dark,  that  on  retrospec- 
tion will  not  reflect  innumerable  proofs  of  His  inexhaust- 
ible goodness  ?  We  may  safely  assert  there  is  none. 
Oh  let  us  but  accustom  ourselves  to  look  up  to,  to  cling 
to  our  God  as  our  own  Friend,  and  Father,  and  Saviour, 
like  whose  unfathomable  love  we  shall  find  none  on  earth, 
who  is  to  each  one  as  He  is  to  all,  whose  heart  and  ear 
are  open  to  the  lowest,  the  poorest,  the  youngest,  the 
oldest  of  His  creatures;  who  gathereth  each  tear,  and 
numbereth  each  sigh;  who  daily  and  hourly  foldeth  His 
arm  around  us  and  calleth  us  individually  His  own :  can 
we  think  upon  Him  thus,  and  yet  refuse  the  heart's  pure 
love,  the  only  meed  He  asketh? 


48  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 


CHAPTER  III. 

DEFINITION  OF  THE  WORD  SOUL — LOVE  OF  GOD  CONSI- 
DERED AS  IT  REGARDS  THE  INTELLECTUAL  AND  VITAL 
PRINCIPLE  OF  MAN. 

tJ^'5!! — universally  rendered  in  English  soul,  we  find 
by  its  various  applications  in  the  Bible  to  signify  breath, 
life,  mind,  the  essence  or  spirit  of  life  and  its  desires. 
It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  heart  and  soul  are  not  used 
in  this  divine  command,  merely  to  strengthen  the  em- 
phasis of  the  idea  by  repetition,  but  to  convey  a  somewhat 
different  meaning;  viz.,  to  bid  His  people  to  devote  alike 
intellectual  and  vital  principles  in  His  service. 

If  we  seek  to  give  Him,  as  He  desires,  our  whole  heart, 
it  follows,  that  we  shall,  as  a  matter  almost  of  necessity, 
obey  the  second  member  of  the  sentence. 

"VVe  cannot  know  Him,  to  love  Him,  as  the  preceding 
chapter  describes,  without  employing  our  intellect,  the 
whole  energy  of  our  minds,  in  the  study  of  His  law,  not 
alone  of  the  Pentateuch,  but  of  our  religion  generally, 
of  all  which  will  assist  us  in  becoming  firm  and  consist- 
ent followers  of  the  faith  we  profess,  and  enable  us  to 
mingle  among  those  of  another  creed  without  fearing  to 
imbibe  it.  To  do  this,  the  Bible  must  be  our  constant 
study.  Nor  will  that  be  of  itself  sufiicient.  The  Bible 
is  the  reflection  of  that  fountain  of  light  dwelling  with 
God  on  high,  and  prayer  alone  will  give  us  the  emana- 
ting ray,  which  will  illumine  the  darkness,  in  which  to 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  49 

natural  man  that  blessed  book  is  plunged.  Faith*  in- 
deed is  the  golden  key  to  unlock  its  stores,  for  without 
faith  its  pages  are  in  truth  ''sealed;" — and  prayer  will 
strengthen  that  faith,  and  teach  us  through  that  book  to 
know  the  Lord,  ourselves,  and  our  duties. 


*  If  in  the  outset  of  life  we  commence  the  reading  of  the  Word  in 
the  spirit  of  self-sufficiency,  and  in  order  to  doubt,  because  our  reason 
does  not  suffice  to  comprehend  all  the  works  and  words  of  God :  it  is 
evident  that  we  cannot  receive  any  benefit  from  a  perusal  of  the  sacred 
text;  its  language  speaks  discouragingly  of  human  reason,  it  teaches  to 
place  little  reliance  on  human  help  or  power.  What  then  does  the 
doubter  or  the  presumptuous  find  therein  to  love  or  admire?  He  is 
told  to  mortify  the  flesh  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  One  whom  he  does 
not  fear;  to  forego  the  dictates  of  his  own  reason  in  deference  to  a  Wis- 
dom he  does  not  recognise,  although  he  may  be  convinced,  as  every 
reasoning  being  must  be,  that  there  is  a  creative  Power  far,  far  superior 
in  power  and  wisdom  to  anything  which  humanity  can  reach  even  in 
imagination.  If,  therefore,  the  recognition  of  divine  power  does  not 
go  the  whole  length  of  subduing  our  reliance  upon  self,  but  little  or  no 
benefit  can  result  from  a  perusal  of  Scripture,  especially  if  at  every 
miracle  we  find  recorded,  or  at  every  passage  gainsaying  our  usual 
views,  we  stop  and  say,  "I  do  not  believe  this;"  or  "  This  cannot  be 
true,  because  I  do  not  understand  things  so  as  they  are  here  recorded." 
But  how  different  a  result  must  arise  when  we  in  lowliness  of  trust  in 
Divine  Wisdom,  or,  in  other  words,  in  the  simplicity  of  a  childlike  faith 
and  trust,  open  the  pages  of  the  Bible  for  instruction  and  light !  0 
then  each  word  is  received  as  an  emanation  of  the  Supreme  Wisdom, 
as  the  recorded  will  of  the  highest  Power!  Doubts  vanish,  because, 
whilst  endeavouring  to  mistrust  our  own  wisdom,  we  are  willing  to  be 
guided  by  the  Author  of  our  soul  and  being,  and  because  even  human, 
worldly  wisdom  will  gradually  stand  astonished  more  and  more  every 
day  at  the  profound  springs  of  truth  and  holiness  which  bubble  forth, 
so  to  say,  from  every  rock  which  apparently  lies  as  a  hinderance  in 
the  way  of  the  humble  inquirer.  Prayer  for  light,  or  the  humilia- 
tion in  spirit  of  the  creature  before  the  Creator,  of  the  child  before  the 
Father,  will  tend  to  complete  what  faith  has  commenced ;  and  subdued 
alike  in  mind  and  will,  the  soul-stricken  believer  will  walk  humbly 
before  the  Lord,  seeking  and  obtaining  light  from  His  revealed  word, 
and  scattering  blessings  of  peace  and  truth  around  him  among  all  who 
may  be  drawn  towards  their  God  by  the  example  of  purity  which  the 

5 


50  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

The  Bible  is  the  foundation  of  religion.  In  it  we  find 
the  history  of  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future;  laws 
to  guide  us;  threatenings,  awfully  fulfilled;  promises  to 
soothe,  console,  and  bless  us.  Those  who  deny  its  divine 
truths  are  neither  Jew  nor  Christian;  for  the  acknow- 
ledgment of  its  divinity  is  equally  binding  to  the  one  as 
to  the  other.  But  the  great  evil  under  which  the  He- 
brew nation  is  still  sufi'ering,  is  not  so  much  the  denial 
as  the  neglect  of  this  precious  word.  We  are  in  general 
perfectly  satisfied  with  reading  the  Parassas  and  Hafto- 
rahs  marked  out  as  our  Sabbath  portions.  The  other* 
parts  of  the  Bible  rest  utterly  unknown.  Brought  out 
on  the  Sabbath  for  the  brief  space  of  half  an  hour,  the 
portions  are  read,  and  hastily  dismissed  as  a  completed 
task,  bringing  with  it  no  pleasure  and  little  profit.  Even 
this  is  but  too  often  neglected,  and  we  adhere  to  the 
forms  and  ceremonies  of  our  ancestors,  scarcely  knowing 
wherefore:  and  we  permit  our  Bibles  to  rest  undisturbed 
on  their  shelves,  not  even  seeking  them,  to  know  the 
meaning  of  what  we  do.  Others  again,  earnest  in  the 
cause,  vet  mistaken  in  the  means,  search  and  believe  the 
writings  of  the  Rabbis,  take  as  divine  truths  all  they 
have  suggested,  and  neglect  the  Biblef  as  not  to  be  com- 
pared with  such  learned  dissertations. 

life  of  the  truly  righteous  must  present  in  all  vicissitudes,  be  they  light 
or  darkness,  joy  or  sorrow. — I.  L. 

*  The  above  remarks  are  rather  too  sweeping,  at  least  for  the  Israel- 
ites of  America ;  still  there  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  and  force  in  them ; 
and  happy  indeed  would  it  be  were  our  people  better  acquainted  with 
their  religion. — I.  L. 

f  Again  I  must  remark  that  Miss  A.  has  relied  too  much  upon  the 
calumniators  of  the  Jewish  character  as  authority.  If  there  are  any 
who  place  the  Rabbis  above  the  Bible,  they  are  unknown  to  me;  far 
different  a  thing  it  is  to  take  their  views  as  explanatory  of  and  above 
the  holy  Text.  The  first  Ls  the  general  view  of  our  nation,  the  latter 
a  doctrine  utterly  abhorrent  to  every  reasoning  mind. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  51 

And  why  should  this  be?  Why  should  the  Bible  be 
so  shunned  by  that  people  to  whom  it  was  so  peculiarly 
intrusted?  Surely  they  cannot  bring  forward  the  too- 
often  quoted  and  unfounded  assertion,  that  the  English 
translation  is  imperfect  and  not  fitted  to  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Hebrew  youth ;  that  it  would  confuse  and  rather 
lead  them  to  embrace  the  Nazarene,  than  strengthen 
their  adherence  to  the  Jewish  creed.  The  evidence  of 
learned  men  of  either  faith,  convinces  us  of  the  fallacy  of 
this  reasoning.  It  is  not  the  actual  words*  of  the  Bible, 
but  the  view  in  which  they  are  taken,  which  gives  wea- 
pons to  our  opponents.  There  is  scarcely  a  word  mis- 
translated, and  the  Hebrew  of  obscure  passages  is  gene- 
rally placed  in  the  margins,  underlined  by  a  literal  trans- 
lation. The  heads  of  the  chapters  are  the  only  portions 
likely  to  mislead;  but  they  are  perfectly  harmless  to  those 
unto  whom  the  Jewish  religion  has  been  taught,  and 
whose  youth  has  not  been  sufi'ered  to  imbibe  religion  as 
they  could. 

Mournfully  they  err,  who  thus  preserve  the  English 
Bible  from  the  hands  and  hearts  of  their  children. f  It 
is  this  great  error  which  prevents  the  spirit  of  piety  from 
taking  possession  of  the  heart,  and  binds  us  to  cold  and 
lifeless  forms;  it  is  this  which  is  the  real  cause  of  so  many 

*  In  some  instances  there  are  certainly  mistranslations  in  the 
English  version;  but  not  enough  to  jeopard  our  religion. — I.  L. 

t  I  must  remark  here,  that  in  America  we  are  not  chargeable  with 
this  erroneous  procedure :  the  English  Bible,  on  the  contrary,  is  almost 
universally  found  in  every  house.  Still  it  would  be  rendering  a  ser- 
vice to  the  cause  of  truth  and  religion,  if  a  revised  translation,  edited 
by  a  society  of  learned  and  pious  Israelites,  without  any  of  the  head- 
ings Miss  A.  alludes  to,  could  be  issued;  for  then  no  one  even  in  Eng- 
land could  hesitate  to  make  it  a  household  book  for  his  children. — I.  L. 
Since  this  book  was  issued,  two  versions  of  the  Scriptures  have  been 
made  by  Jewish  writers ;  wherefore  all  objections  urged  against  the 
use  of  the  old  translation  are  inapplicable  to  them. 


52  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

Israelites  Having  embraced  Christianity.*  If,  as  it  only 
too  often  happens,  young  minds  are  first  led  to  think  on 
religion  at  all  by  the  example  of  pious  Christian  friends, 
and  are  engaged  to  read,  or  rather  study  the  Bible  for 
the  first  time,  under  their  direction,  and  come  to  them 
for  enhghtenment  on  passages  or  chapters  that  may  seem 
obscure  :  must  it  not  follow  as  a  natural  conseqnence, 
that  the  ideas  they  thus  imbibe  must  favour  the  Chris- 
tian and  not  the  Hebrew  creed?  How  can  they  produce 
arguments  against  arguments,  if  they  have  never  been 
taught  to  read  the  Bible  according  to  the  belief  of  their 
fathers  ?  Why  do  we  only  too  often  hear,  even  amongst 
professing  Hebrews,  that  the  morality  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment infinitely  surpasses  in  beauty  and  charity  that  of 
the  Old?  Why?  because  they  see  the  eftects  of  the  one 
on  the  lives  and  characters  of  its  believers,  and  they  see 
it  not  in  the  other;  because  they  adopt  as  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity  the  beautiful  moral  sentences  and  pro- 
verbs they  chance  to  hear,  wholly  unconscious  that  these 
very  sentences  which  so  much  attract  their  admiration 
have  all,  without  exception,  their  original  foundation  in 
the  pages  of  the  Old  Testament,  either  in  the  Law,  the 
Psalms,  or  the  Prophets;  nay,  that  the  whole  system  of 
morality  preached  by  the  founder  of  Christianity  is  that 
in  which  we  were  instructed  by  God  Himself,  either  in 

*  I  believe  Miss  A.  overrates  the  number  who  have  left  our  church; 
certainly  few  have  left  it  from  conviction,  which  fact  is  easily  suscep- 
tible of  positive  proof;  at  all  events,  the  number  of  conversions  in 
America  is  ver}'  small,  and  these  consist  for  the  greater  part  of  those 
who  have  been  contaminated  by  a  too  close  intercourse  with  Christians, 
to  the  neglect  of  their  own  people,  without  sulEcient  knowledge  of 
their  own  faith  to  withstand  the  arguments  or  flattery  of  those  differ- 
ing from  us.  Names  of  instances  of  this  kind  could  be  mentioned,  if 
there  were  any  necessity  for  it;  but  my  word  may  be  taken  for  the 
truth  of  what  I  allege. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  63 

direct  communion  with  Moses,  or  through  His  chosen 
servants,  the  prophets!  Its  only  change  is  from  the 
lofty  language  of  inspiration  which  the  chosen  of  the 
Lord  alone  could  be  supposed  to  understand,  to  the  brief 
and  simple  phrases*  better  suited  to  the  comprehension 
of  the  heathen  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  The  Christian 
divines  themselves  acknowledge  this;  and  shall  we,  de- 
scended as  we  are  from  a  race  whom  God  so  peculiarly 
blessed — shall  we  by  our  whole  lives  deny  it?  and  de- 
clare the  Christian  ethics  are  the  best,  when  we  know 
nothing,  seek  to  know  nothing,  of  our  own? 

We  are  told  in  Deuteronomy,  chap,  xvii.,  that  in  case 
the  Israelites  should  elect  a  king,  he  was  to  write  a  copy 
of  the  law  himself,  that  he  might  read  therein  all  the  days 
of  his  life,  and  learn  to  fear  the  Lord  his  God,  and  keep 
all  the  words  of  this  law  and  do  them.  The  importance 
of  studying  this  law  we  also  find  insisted  upon,  alike  by 
David,  Solomon,  and  all  the  prophets,  almost  always  fol- 
lowed by  the  promise  of  blessings  unto  all  who  are  thus 
employed.  Over  and  over  again  we  find  in  the  Psalms 
verses  to  this  effect:  '^ Blessed  is  the  man  whose  delight 
is  in  the  law  of  the  Lord;" — ''The  law  of  the  Lord  is 
perfect,  converting  the  soul — the  testimony  of  the  Lord 
is  sure,  making  the  simple  wise — the  statutes  of  the  Lord 
are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart — the  commandment  of  the 
Lord  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes."  And  if  its  study 
was  of  such  importance  in  the  time  of  David,  when  the 
Lord  still  manifested  Himself  to  His  people,  when  they 
were  still  under  His  immediate  guidance:    how  much 

*  And  even  this  was  in  accordance  with  the  opinions  of  the  Rabbis 
of  that  age  :  witness  the  many  moral  sentences  scattered  in  the  Talmud 
and  kindred  works,  some  without  any  doubt  antecedent  to  Christianity. 
For  proof,  if  any  were  needed,  see  the  Proverbs  of  the  Fathers,  gne  of 
the  Books  of  the  Mishuah. — I.  L. 

5* 


64  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

more  important  must  it  be  now,  when  the  prophecy  of 
Amos  is  in  literal  and  actual  fulfilment,  "  Behold  the 
days  come,  saith  the  Lord  God,  that  I  will  send  a  famine 
in  the  land,  not  a  famine  of  bread,  nor  of  thirst  for 
water,  but  of  hearing  the  words  of  the  Lord."  (Amos 
viii.  11.) 

Now,  when  surrounded  by  nations  who  know  the  Lord 
and  serve  Him,  though  not  as  we  do,  we  are  daily  in 
danger  of  being  lured  to  desert  our  faith,  or  of  being 
called  upon  to  arise  and  defend  our  belief,  not  against 
the  sword  of  slaughter,  but  against  that  kindly  though 
mistaken  zeal  which  would  endeavour  to  convince  and 
to  convert,  by  the  means  of  that  very  book  we  have 
wilfully  neglected.*  We  stand  defenceless,  for  our  own 
weapons  are  turned  against  ourselves.  Now,  more  than 
ever,  should  our  children  be  taug^ht  their  relisrion  from 
the  Bible,  and  led  to  regard  that  blessed  book  as  the 
fountain  of  living  waters  for  all  who  thirst;  not  only 
as  it  regards  mere  points  of  doctrine,  but  as  the  only 
book  which  will  teach  them  to  know  and  love  their  God. 

Do  we  require  fresh  incentive  to  the  task?  are  not 
the  words  of  the  Lord  in  Jeremiah  all-sufficient?  "Let 
not  the  wise  man  glory  in  his  wisdom,  neither  let  the 
mighty  man  glory  in  his  might — let  not  the  rich  man 
glory  in  his  riches;  but  let  him  that  glorieth  glory  in 
this,  that  he  knoweth  and  understandeth  me,  that  I  am 
the  Lord,  which  exerciseth  loving-kindness,  and  judg- 
ment, and  righteousness  in  the  earth,  that  in  these  I  de- 


*  If  my  friend's  picture  of  the  ignorance  of  our  blessed  religion 
among  her  countrymen  and  women  is  not  highly  overdrawn,  which, 
much  to  my  regret,  I  cannot  believe  to  have  been  done,  how  fearful  a 
responsibility  does  rest  upon  them,  if  they  do  not  arise  in  their  raiglit 
and  counteract  by  a  thorough  system  of  religious  education  the  evil  so 
eloquently  exposed  in  the  text ! — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  55 

liglit,  saith  the  Lord."  (Jer.  ix.  23,  24.)  Will  natural 
religion  teach  us  this?  will  the  aspect  of  affairs  as  they 
appear  to  mortal  eyes  in  this  world, — the  constant  tri- 
umph of  the  wicked,  the  sufferings  of  the  righteous,  the 
misery  of  thousands,  the  prosperity  of  those  that  know 
not  the  Lord — will  these  things  teach  us  to  know  Him 
as  He  is?  Will  even  the  meditation  of  Him  throu2;h 
His  glorious  works  enable  us  to  '^understand  Him"? 
No,  we  can  only  learn  to  know  Him  in  the  word  that  He 
has  given  us;  and  even  there  that  blessing  will  not  sud- 
denly be  granted  us. 

It  is  no  light  task  we  undertake  when,  in  lowly  faith 
and  earnest  prayer,  we  commence  the  study  of  the  Bible. 
The  wisdom  of  philosophy,  its  acute  perception,  power- 
ful reasoning,  the  deep  research,  the  toiled-for  know- 
ledge of  the  student,  will  not  avail  us  here.  We  must 
come,  lowly-minded  and  simple-hearted,  even  as  little 
children,  who  read  and  believe.  Much  we  know  there 
is,  which  in  our  present  imperfect  state  we  cannot  hope 
fully  to  understand;  if  all  were  open  to  our  eye  and 
mind,  there  would  be  no  exercise  of  faith ;  and  we  know 
that ''  faith  is  accounted  ris^hteousness."  But  much  that 
at  a  first  reading  may  seem  obscure,  becomes  clearer 
every  time  we  read.  No  one  can  say  he  has  read  the 
Bible,  who  has  perused  its  pages  once.  The  evidence 
of  those  who  have  made  that  book  their  companion 
through  threescore  and  ten  years,*  who  have  perused 
and  reperused  it,  and  each  time  found  something  new, 
some  new  consoling  promise,  which  they  had  observed 

*  And  in  this  spirit  spoke  the  Lord  to  Joshua:  "This  book  of  the 
hiw  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth ;  but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein 
day  and  night,  that  thou  mayest  observe  to  do  according  to  all  that  is 
written  therein  ;  for  then  shalt  thou  make  thy  way  prosperous,  and 
then  thou  shalt  have  good  success. "     (Josh.  i.  8.) — I.  L. 


56  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

not  in  former  readings,  is  an  unanswerable  proof  of  its 
inexhaustible  fulness.  It  is  not  one  perusal  which  will 
open  to  us  the  fountain  of  living  waters  contained  in 
the  Bible — nay,  the  first,  the  second,  and  to  some  minds, 
perhaps,,  even  the  third  reading  will  end  in  discourage- 
ment and  sadness.  We  may  have  found  little  to  re- 
ward our  toil,  little  to  afford  us  strength  or  consolation, 
or  to  convince  us  it  is  a  message  of  mercy  addressed  to 
us,  not  as  a  nation  alone,  but  individually.  We  must 
persevere,  we  must  read  on  and  on,  still  in  trusting  faith 
and  prayer;  and  the  answer  will  be  given;  the  bless- 
ing of  -the  Lord  will  be  upon  us,  ''converting  the  soul, 
making  the  simple  wise,  rejoicing  the  heart,  and  en- 
lightening the  eyes,"  even  as  He  hath  promised.  No 
one  has  ever  thus  read  the  word  of  his  God,  who  will 
refuse  his  evidence  as  to  its  holiness  and  beauty; — 
Hebrew  and  Christian  will  alike  unite  in  proclaiming  it 

DIVINE. 

There  is  no  contradiction  in  asserting  'that  the  con- 
stant employment  of  our  intellectual  faculties  in  the 
study  of  God's  Word,  is  obeying  His  command  to  love 
with  all  our  soul,  and  vet  declarins;  the  wisdom  of  the 
philosopher  or  the  knowledge  of  the  student  will  avail 
us  little  in  the  acquirement  of  its  inspired  truths.  It 
would  seem  as  if  the  one  contradicted  the  other;  as  if 
to  come  as  little  children,  and  yet  to  use  our  intellect, 
were  things  incompatible  one  with  the  other;  but  yet  in 
this  case  they  are  united.  Humility  and  true  wisdom 
are  ever  found  hand  in  hand.  Those  that  really  know 
the  most,  that  have  studied  deepest,  are  ever  those  who 
think  least  of  themselves;  for  the  more  they  know  the 
more  they  feel  how  little  capable  is  their  finite  wisdom 
to  understand  the  things  around  them,  the  workings  of 
infinity.     The  Bible  cannot  be  dearer  to  the  philosopher, 


THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  67 

the  poet,  or  tlie  student,  than  it  is  to  the  poor  unlettered 
peasants,  who  perhaps  can  read  no  other  book.  Their 
simple  faith  should  read  a  lesson  to  the  proud  in  heart, 
the  mighty  in  knowledge,  who  pass  it  by  as  unw^orthy 
of  their  regard.  Their  simplicity,  and  lowly-minded- 
ness,  is  a  proof  that  it  needs  not  philosophy  to  compre- 
hend the  Bible.  Yet  those  wdiose  aspiring  minds  grasp 
eagerly  all  that  can  exercise  the  intellect,  will  find  enough 
to  satisfy  that  restless  craving — much,  very  much,  to 
gratify  their  ardent  desire  for  research,  their  unceasing 
longing  for  acquirement. 

The  history  of  ancient  nations,  their  curious  notions 
of  religion,  their  remarkable  traditions,  all  bearing  a 
marked  resemblance  to  the  striking  points  of  early  Reve- 
lation; researches  in  the  history  of  the  Eastern  nations, 
whose  manners  and  customs  of  the  present  day  bear  the 
strongest  affinity  to  the  manners,  customs,  and  peculiari- 
ties mentioned  in  the  Bible,  many  of  which  indeed  are 
almost  unintelligible  without  reference  to  these  explana- 
tory volumes;  the  history  of  prophecy  awfully  fulfilled, 
found  in  the  evidence  of  every  traveller  to  the  East — 
Moab,  Edom,  Babylon,  Egypt,  Pathros,  Ethiopia,  Ammon, 
the  Land  of  Promise  herself,  all,  by  their  present  desola- 
tion, literally  and  fearfully  fulfilling  the  threatenings  of 
the  Lord: — these  are  works  which,  wdiile  they  give  full 
scope  to  the  intellectual  faculties,  add  new  and  glorious 
beauties  to  the  Bible;  these  will  shed  a  new  and  yet 
lovelier  light  upon  its  pages.  In  such  researches  the 
philosopher  and  the  student  will  find  ample  subject  for 
the  exercise  of  their  powers;  and  the  poet,  the  enthusiast 
— will  their  flight  be  checked,  if  they  pause  a  while  to 
linger  on  such  pages  ?  I^o,  their  wings  will  soar  higher 
and  higher  still;  for  the  fount  of  inspiration  hath  shed 
its  light  and  life  upon  their  path. 


58  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

Though  to  read  and  comprehend  the  Word  of  God  be 
the  first  great  desire  of  our  hearts,  and  our  intellect 
should  there  be  continually  exercised:  it  does  not  follow, 
that  to  love  the  Lord  with  all  our  soul  comprises  that 
exercise  alone. 

As  His  lovinQ--kindness  decked  this  beautiful  earth 
with  an  inexhaustible  variety  of  the  loveliest  flowers,  to 
afford  pleasure  and  recreation  unto  man  in  the  midst  of 
graver  duties,  bidding  them  spring  up  on  every  side, 
even  in  wastes  where  it  would  seem  the  foot  of  man  has 
never  trod — decking  alike  the  lonely  wild  and  the  culti- 
vated ground,  the  secret  stream  and  the  watered  nook, 
the  peasant's  cot  and  the  monarch's  park — ever  fresh 
andjjever  lovely,  ever  raising  their  meek  heads  towards 
the  sky,  as  in  adoration  of  Him  that  tendeth  them,  or 
bending  down  their  graceful  clusters,  as  too  lowly  to 
meet  His  smile;  shedding  on  His  winds  their  luscious 
breath,  as  thus  to  speak  their  silent  praise — even  as  His 
love  gave  unto  earth  these  lovely  things:  so  hath  He 
stored  the  mind  of  man  with  fair  and  precious  gifts,  not 
to  take  the  place  of  graver  food,  but  to  give  joy  and 
recreation  to  his  fellows,  to  shed  new  joyance  on  his 
home,  to  give  new  energy  to  love  in  those  around  him, 
and  lift  up  his  own  heart  in  increased  and  grateful  adora- 
tion to  his  God. 

These  are  the  hallowed  uses  of  talent  and  accomplish- 
ment, in  those  circles  where  they  are  cultivated  as  re- 
sources of  pleasure,  not  of  maintenance. 

Our  minds  are  stored  with  a  variety  of  beauteous 
flowers,  which  it  is  God's  pleasure  we  should  value  and 
improve.  He  hath  not  given  them  to  wither  and  to  die; 
but  to  be  brought  from  their  hidden  cells,  and  by  assi- 
duous cultivation  be  reared  and  cherished,  till  they  are 
worthy  to  be  employed  in  His  service,  by  the  pleasure 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  59 

they  afford  to  our  fellow-creatures,  and  the  sources  of 
gratitude  they  open  in  ourselves.  The  earth  needs  cul- 
ture to  bring  forth  her  loveliest  flowers,  even  though 
the  seeds  are  God's  own  gift;  and  so  it  is  with  the  mind 
of  man.  The  Lord  hath  planted  it  with  precious  seeds; 
He  watereth  and  tendeth  them  unceasingly;  yet  we  must 
use  our  own  persevering  efforts  to  bring  them  into  per- 
fect flowers;  and  that  these  efforts  after  knowledge  and 
wisdom  are  acceptable  to  Him  who  alone  can  crown  them 
with  success,  we  have  Solomon's  prayer  and  God's  gra- 
cious answer  as  unquestionable  proofs. 

Wisdom  does  not  mean  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
ALONE,  although  ''  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom,"  and  there  is  scarcely  any  study,  which,  if 
pursued  in  a  faithful  spirit,  will  not  lead  us  in  the  end 
nearer  Him.  Sacred  history  informs  us  that  Solomon's 
wisdom  consisted  also  in  the  knowledge  of  man,  in  such 
perfect  discrimination,  that  justice  was  always  as  exact 
as  it  was  impartial;  in  jurisprudence,  in  every  branch 
of  information  necessary  for  the  civil,  military,  and  reli- 
gious government  of  a  great  kingdom,  and  in  that  lively 
fancy  and  ready  apprehension  which  enabled  him  to  give 
instant  and  satisfactory  answers  to  all  the  difficult  ques- 
tions, on  every  subject,  put  to  him  by  the  Queen  of  Sheba. 
No  one  will  deny  that  Solomon's  wisdom  was  inspired  of 
the  Lord,  granted  to  him  in  answer  to  his  prayer.  "Ask 
what  I  shall  give  thee,"  were  the  gracious  words  of  the 
Lord.  The  mind  must  have  been  truly  great,  which 
under  this  temptation,  this  perfect  freedom  to  ask  what 
he  pleased,  preferred  '^an  understanding  heart,"  above 
all  earthly  glory,  wealth,  or  power.  True,  it  is  not  now 
as  then ;  the  Lord  does  not  thus  manifest  Himself  to  His 
people;  nor  may  we  hope  such  a  direct  and  speedy  answer 
to  our  prayers;  but  when  we  read  ''that  this  speech 


60  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

pleased  the  Lord,  that  Solomon  had  asked  this  thing,  and 
He  said  unto  him,  Because  thou  hast  not  asked  for  thy- 
self long  life,  nor  riches,  nor  the  life  of  thy  enemies,  but 
hast  asked  understanding  to  discern  judgment,  behold  I 
have  done  according  to  thy  words,  I  have  given  thee  a 
wise  and  understanding  heart:"  we  know  that  the  prayer 
for  wisdom  is  pleasing  to  our  Father,  and  that  our  efforts 
to  obtain  it  will  be  blessed. 

It  may  be  urged,  Solomon  was  peculiarly  situated ;  he 
was  the  son  of  the  man  after  God's  own  heart,  the  head 
of  that  peculiar  people  whom  God  had  proclaimed  his 
first  born;  that  the  duties  devolving  on  him  demanded 
extraordinary  wisdom;  and,  therefore,  his  example  can 
be  of  little  consequence  to  individuals. 

We  are  wrong  to  think  thus.  We  are  all  and  each  of 
us  members  of  this  people,  individually  as  much  under 
His  care  and  love,  as  those  selected  servants,  whose  lives 
and  thoughts  are  written  in  the  Bible,  to  give  us  encou- 
ragement, and  hope,  and  life,  now  that  we  may  no  longer 
commune  face  to  face  with  God.  We  have  not,  indeed, 
the  mighty  charge  of  a  great  kingdom;  but  we  have 
each  some  duties  to  fulfil,  some  talent  entrusted  to  us, 
for  which,  at  the  awful  hour  of  judgment,  we  must  all 
account.  God  has  not  entrusted  us  with  precious  seed 
to  lie  useless  and  neglected,  till  it  is  blighted  and  de- 
stroyed. There  is  not  a  station  in  life,  however  lowly  or 
unseen,  the  duties  of  Avhich  will  not  become  lighter  and 
clearer  from  reflection  and  prayer;  not  a  talent,  however 
small,  which  will  not  add  to  our  own  happiness  and  that 
of  our  fellow-creatures,  by  cultivation  and  improvement, 
even  if  this  scene  of  action  be  confined  to  our  own 
domestic  hearth.  As  the  mind  becomes  enlarged  and 
its  ideas  matured,  its  views  of  God  and  man  are  purified 
and  exalted;   it  flings  aside  those  grosser   particles  of 


THE   SPIRIT   or   JUDAISM.  61 

sense  and  worldliness  which  surround  it  when  wither- 
ing in  neglect,  and  rising  higher  and  higher  in  the  pure 
ether  of  infinity  (for  such  is  wisdom),  creates  a  happiness 
for  itself  of  which  neither  sorrow  nor  care  can  deprive 
it;  and  this  is  the  answer  to  our  prayer  for  our  Father's 
blessing  on  His  gifts;  this  is  the  proof  that  even  in  this 
fallen  and  imperfect  state  He  hears  and  answers  us. 

In  the  present  state  of  society,  however,  it  is  not  so 
much  the  neglect  as  the  abuse  of  these  glorious  gifts, 
against  which  those  who  seek  to  love  their  God  with  all 
their  soul,  must  be  carefully  guarded.  The  cultivation 
of  mere  accomplishment  and  improvement  of  natural 
talent  have  of  late  fallen  into  deserved  disrepute,  from 
their  complete  absorption  of  time,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
graver  thought  and  severer  study.  It  is  not  devoting 
six  hours  to  music,  as  many  to  painting,  and  all  that  are 
left  to  the  translation  of  all  the  fashionable  modern  lan- 
guages, not  for  the  sake  of  their  valuable  literature,  but 
simply  to  skim  over  their  new  w'orks,  and  fill  the  mouth 
with  words,  the  mind  with  ideas  of  but  too  often  doubt- 
ful import; — it  is  not  these  things  w^hich  will  draw  the 
soul  nearer  to  her  God,  or  prove  that  knowledge  is  power, 
or  wisdom  happiness.  Their  effect  is,  but  too  often,  to 
fill  the  heart  with  pride,  with  a  desire  to  surpass,  to 
triumph,  with  a  distaste  for  all  pleasures  and  amusements 
save  those  which  grant  opportunities  for  admiration  and 
display.  Love  for  talent  in  itself,  desire  for  wisdom  be- 
cause of  its  own  intrinsic  beauty,  or  knowledge  for  the 
vast  stores  it  unlocks — these  are  emotions  unknown  to 
those  whose  education  has  been  conducted  as  above. 
Their  acquirements  bring  not  joy;  for,  unless  they  have 
a  field  worthy  of  their  display,  listeners  they  deem  worthy 
to  be  captivated,  excitement  sufficient  to  drav/  them  forth, 
their  boasted  accomplishments  lie  unused  and  wasted, 

6 


62  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

and  their  lives  drag  heavily  and  unprofitably  along. 
Neglect  were  almost  better  than  such  abuse;  but  there 
is  a  middle  course.* 

The  cultivation  of  such  gifts,  the  superiority  which 
their  acquirement  appears  to  bestow,  certainly  expose 
us  to  some  degree  of  temptation;  but  we  should  not  shun 
them  on  that  account;  our  duty  while  on  earth  is,  not 
so  much  to  fly  from  temptation,  as  to  resist  it — to  seek 
the  praise  of  God  above  that  of  man ;  and  this  we  do  if 
accomplishment  and  talent  be  cherished  and  fostered  as 
His  gifts,  and  love  and  gratitude  to  Him  accompany  the 
sources  of  happiness  they  open  to  our  grasp.  If  His 
blessing  be  sought  upon  their  improvement,  His  guidance 
as  to  their  best  uses,  they  are  not  likely  to  puff  up  the 
heart  with  selfishness  and  pride;  but,  by  the  constant 
and  grateful  communion  they  open  with  our  God,  they 
lead  us  to  cling  yet  closer  to  His  love,  to  love  Him  more 
and  more,  and  be  ready  to  resign  them  at  His  call. 

The  flowers  of  the  earth,  beautiful  in  their  lowliness, 
heart-speaking  in  their  silent  evidences  of  God's  univer- 
sal love  as  they  are,  yet  supply  us  not  with  food  for  the 
support  of  life;  that  land  were  a  houseless  desert,which 
possessed  but  them.  And  so  it  is  with  the  mind  devoted 
to  accomplishment  alone.  Music,  painting,  poetry,  indis- 
criminately as  they  are  scattered  now  over  our  domestic 
hearths,  will  not  Q-ive  us  that  bread  of  life  and  that 
sustenance,  for  which  at  one  period  or  another  of  our 
mortal  career  the  soul  will  surely  seek.     In  the  hour  of 

■^  Of  course  these  observations  have  no  reference  to  those  children 
of  genius,  whose  peculiar  gifts  point  out  a  path  for  themselves.  They 
cannot  give  too  much  time  and  study  to  the  perfection  of  the  art  or 
science  to  which  they  lean.  God  has  manifested  Himself  in  them,  has 
Himself  pointed  out  their  path,  which  it  is  alike  erroneous  and  unhappy 
to  disregard. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  63 

lonely  sickness,  of  pining  sorrow,  of  worldly  misfortune, 
will  these  things  satisfy  the  spirit,  if  our  youth  and 
energy  have  been  devoted  to  them  alone?  Will  they  not 
rather  take  wings  and  fly,  and  leave  the  dreary  void 
behind?  Oh!  without  the  heavenly  manna,  the  corn 
which  angels  eat,  these  are  but  withering  flowers,  but 
reeds,  which  pierce  when  leant  upon.  That  heart,  that 
home  alone  is  truly  blessed,  which  seeks  to  unite  the  two, 
the  bread  of  life  with  the  flowers  of  love;  cherishing 
the  one,  to  strengthen,  to  support,  to  purify  the  other, 
to  give  fresh  charms,  fresh  loveliness,  to  the  ties  of  earth; 
to  give  new  zest  to  that  love  which  is  commenced  on 
earth  to  end  in  heaven. 

If  we  regard  the  intellect  thus  (and  surely  we  are 
permitted  so  to  do),  will  it  not  heighten  the  love  we  bear 
our  God,  and  enable  us  to  obey  His  emphatic  command, 
to  love  Him  with  the  whole  soul,  even  looking  on  it  as 
the  vital,  as  well  as  the  intellectual  principle  of  man  ? 
As  the  vital,  we  know  the  love  we  bear  Him  must  con- 
tinue constant  and  unchanging;  and  nothing  is  more 
likely  to  assist  us  in  this,  than  that  continued  reference 
to  Him,  which  the  earnest  and  religious  use  of  our  intel- 
lect engenders.  The  one  brings  forth  the  other.  We 
cannot  love  the  Lord,  without  thinking  how  best  to  serve 
Him,  without  associating  Him  in  His  every  gift.  Nor 
can  we  so  employ  our  minds  without  increase  of  devoted- 
ness  and  love. 

In  the  aff'ection  we  bear  a  fellow- creature,  we  fre- 
quently find  this  emotion  wavering  in  its  force,  not  en- 
tirely deserting  us,  but  increasing  and  decreasing  in 
warmth;  at  one  time  filling  our  hearts  with  intense  de- 
light, at  others,  with  lingering  sadness,  according  to  the 
caprice  of  those  we  love,  or  from  the  variable  current  of 
life  in  our  owm  veins. 


64  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

In  the  love  we  bear  to  God,  we  must  guard  a  ainst 
these  feelings,  or  we  shall  find  ourselves  at  one  time 
buoyed  up  by  a  species  of  religious  fanaticism,  leading 
us  into  all  kinds  of  extravagance;  at  others,  bowed 
down  even  to  the  earth  under  a  sense  of  despondency 
and  wretchedness  almost  overwhelming. 

We  must  check  these  enthusiastic  fits  of  devotion,  to 
which  youth  and  happiness  are  liable,  and  rouse  unceas- 
ingly the  flagging  spirit,  where  there  is  an  unwillingness 
to  pray;  till  at  length  w^e  are  enabled  to  preserve  a  more 
even  frame  of  mind,  which,  tempering  our  earthly  emo- 
tions, will  naturally  heighten  by  its  calm,  constant  influ- 
ence, the  fervour  of  its  devotion  in  its  stated  hours. 

To  obtain  this  happy  frame  of  mind  to  any  extent  is  a 
blessing,  which  in  our  present  spiritless  and  fallen  state 
is  almost  impossible.  Perseverance  will  do  much;  but 
even  the  best  and  holiest  have  to  mourn  their  ''iniquity 
in  holy  things,"  the  imperfection  of  their  prayers,  the 
painful  mutability  of  their  heart,  even  when  they  most 
desire  to  fix  it  on  their  God.  There  are,  indeed,  moments 
wdien  the  spirit  of  devotion  seems  kindling  within  us, 
when  appropriate  petitions  flow,  as  it  were,  spontaneously 
from  our  lips,  when  we  feel  as  if  for  the  love  of  our  God 
we  could  make  any  and  every  sacrifice,  and  follow  on  un- 
shrinkingly in  the  path  He  hath  laid  down  for  us,  what- 
ever trials  it  may  include;  then,  then  is  the  time  to 
tremble,  to  dash  down  these  vain  and  idle  dreams;  for 
they  are  but  illusions  wdiich  fill  our  heart  with  pride 
that  we  can  pray  so  earnestly,  praise  so  eloquently,  and 
resign  ourselves  so  implicitly  to  our  Father's  will — illu- 
sions that  have  no  foundation,  but  which,  if  encouraged, 
will  lead  us  into  sin;  for  we  are  then  ready  to  look 
down  on  all  who  appear  less  gifted  in  prayer,  and  to 
arrogate  to  ourselves  a  much  greater  portion  of  God's 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  65 

favour  than  we  either  possess  or  deserve.  Then  are  the 
times  to  "remember  the  days  of  darkness,"  for  they  shall 
be  many;  to  pray  that  these  excited  feelings  may  be 
sobered  down  to  that  lowly  and  tempered  spirit,  far  more 
acceptable  to  our  Father;  or  we  shall  find  that,  even  as 
our  taste  is  palled  by  a  succession  of  sweet  food,  and  we 
loathe  it  if  we  take  no  other,  so  will  our  thoughts  revolt 
and  turn  in  sadness  from  what  has  too  long  and  too  ex- 
citingly occupied  them.  Satiety  and  aversion  frequently 
follow  close  upon  too  highly  excited  feelings;  and  care- 
fully should  we  guard  against  these  emotions  in  our  com- 
munion with  our  God.  Enthusiasm  is  natural  to  early 
youth,  particularly  when  first  awaked  to  the  call  of  reli- 
gion, and  if  that  enthusiasm  be  placed  under  a  gentle 
restraint,  its  rays  will  long  enlighten  and  revive  our 
afiections;  whereas,  if  we  give  vent  at  once  to  its  full 
light,  we  shall  find  it,  for  a  short  time,  dazzle,  if  it  do 
not  blind,  and  then  sink  in  utter  darkness  and  despond- 
ing gloom. 

But,  dangerous  as  is  enthusiasm  in  religion,  we  en- 
counter it  less  often  than  that  heavy  sluggish  feeling 
which  only  too  often  creeps  over  us,  and  renders  our 
prayers  a  task  so  painful  we  would  gladly  turn  from 
them ;  for  we  feel  as  if  we  could  not  pray.  Here  then, 
instead  of  checking,  we  must  persevere.  It  is  a  mistaken 
notion  to  believe  that  in  our  present  weak,  wavering, 
and  sleepy  state  of  mind,  it  is  better  not  to  address  our 
God;  that  such  imperfect  petitions  can  only  be  sin  in 
His  sight.  If  once  the  sacred  duty  of  prayer  be  neg- 
lected, on  the  spur  of  such  thought,  its  difficulties  will 
increase,  day  by  day,  till  at  length  it  will  be  well-nigh 
impossible  to  overcome  them.  If  we  cease  to  pray  till 
aff'ections  become  warm,  and  a  devout  state  of  mind  re- 
turn, we  may  be  sure  that  time  will  never  come.     Perse- 

^6* 


66  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

verance  alone  will  conquer  in  time  this  wretched  feeling. 
A  determination  still  to  seek,  and  trust  in  tiie  grace  of 
God  to  supply  the  deficiencies  of  our  own  hearts,  which 
we  earnestly,  penitently  implore,  will  bring  comfort  in 
His  own  good  time.  It  is  to  try  our  faith,  our  merciful 
Father  sometimes  deprives  our  prayers  of  all  comfort, 
as  if  He  heard  them  not,  and  puts  a  chain  upon  our 
hearts  and  lips  till  they  can  frame  no  words ; — to  try 
our  faith,  to  convince  us  that  of  ourselves  we  are 
nothing;  that  without  His  grace,  we  cannot  even  pray  - 
with  fervour;  that,  however  moral  and  outward  religious 
duties  may  be  performed,  however  guarded  we  may  seem 
to  have  been  from  presumptuous  sin,  yet  when  we  pros- 
trate ourselves  before  His  throne,  it  is  as  if  a  sudden 
blight  had  fallen  upon  us;  thoughts  the  most  incongru- 
ous, fancies  the  most  unconnected,  rise  and  mingle  them- 
selves irresistibly  with  our  prayers;  and  when  we  rise 
up,  it  is  as  if  we  had  not  prayed,  and  we  stand  humble 
and  abased  before  Him,  conscious  that  we  have  sinned.* 

*  Without  sharing  altogether  the  ideas  of  ]Miss  A.  on  enthusiasm  and 
indifference  expressed  above,  I  must  admit  that  from  personal  expe- 
rience her  observations  are  generally  true.  There  are,  indeed,  moments 
when  prayer  proceeds  from  an  exuberance  of  devotion,  and  we  are,  so 
to  say,  elevated  above  the  world  and  its  trials.  Still,  if  I  might  be  per- 
mitted to  hazard  an  opinion,  I  should  say,  that  these  feelings  of  an 
entire  surrender  to  God  of  our  whole  selves  should  not  be  called  mis- 
guided enthusiasm,  but  should  be  encouraged,  if  possible,  as  the  guiding 
stars  of  our  lives,  without  being  allowed  to  lapse  into  the  sinful  pride 
of  piety  mentioned  in  the  text,  which,  whilst  it  ostensibly  claims  the 
merit  of  religious  devotion,  is  only  another  cloak  for  the  love  of  do- 
minion and  disregard  of  the  rights  of  our  fellow-men  ;  but  to  be  a  deep- 
seated  conviction  of  our  entire  dependence  on  the  Lord  for  all  that  we 
are,  and  all  that  we  have,  which  emotion  will  then  enable  us  to  be  at 
all  times  ready  to  sacrifice  every  thing  to  our  Maker's  will,  nay,  even  to 
surrender  our  life  rather  than  to  renounce  His  service;  as  our  wise  men 
say  on  the  very  passage  of  Scripture  under  consideration;  "Whati;; 
meant  by  'with  all  thy  soul'?  even  if.  He  takes  thy  soul."     And  so 


THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  67 

But  if  at  sucli  moments  we  are  conscious  of,  and  deplore 
such  wanderings  in  devotion;  if  we  still  cling  to  Him, 
and  feel,  "  Yea,  though  He  hide  His  face  from  me,  though 
He  deprive  me  of  all  comfort  in  prayer,  yet  still,  still 
will  I  put  my  whole  trust  in  Him,  still  fold  to  my  heart 
the  blessed  truth  that  faith  in  Him  is  accounted  right- 
eousness:" then  indeed  may  we  feel  assured,  that  our 
imperfect  petitions  are  as  acceptable,  perhaps  more  so, 
as  when  from  some  outward  or  inward  cause  our  petitions 

did  the  great  Akiba,  who,  whilst  expiring  under  the  slow  and  almost 
unheard-of  tortures  of  the  persecutor,  dwelt  with  holy  enthusiasm  on 
the  acknowledgment  of  the  Unity  of  God,  till  his  pure  spirit  took  its 
flight.  In  short,  enthusiastic  feelings  of  devotion,  if  they  proceed 
from  humility,  are  holy  feelings ;  but  certainly  care  should  be  taken 
that  they  never  take  the  shape  of  an  inflamed  zeal,  which  is  the  parent 
of  the  hatred  of  others  difi"ering  from  us  in  opinion,  of  uncharitable 
censoriousness  and  self-elevation.  On  the  other  hand,  an  indifference 
or  carelessness  in  prayer  is  unfortunately  much  more  frequent  than  the 
opposite  extreme;  cares  and  avocations  of  life  dwell  too  strongly  in 
the  mind  to  be  laid  aside  even  in  our  communing  with  God ;  and  were 
we  only  to  pray  when  our  soul  is  altogether  free  from  extraneous 
thoughts,  it  would  be  but  seldom  indeed  that  the  ofiering  of  prayer 
could  be  sacrificed  upon  the  altar  of  the  heart.  It  is,  therefore,  an 
admirable  institution,  that  we  have  set  forms  of  prayer,  or  petitions 
for  almost  everything  we  need,  and  fixed  times  to  address  these  to  our 
God.  For  if  we  take  up  our  prayer  book  for  the  sake  of  worship,  un- 
less it  be  altogether  from  mere  outward  show,  which  is  to  be  hoped  not 
to  be  often  the  case,  we  at  once  render  homage  to  our  Maker ;  and  if 
but  one  idea  is  uttered  in  sincerity  and  devoutness  of  conviction,  then 
is  this  one  idea  an  acceptable  sacrifice  to  Him  who  hears  all  our  cries. 
And  who  knows,  but  that,  if  even  we  commence  to  pray,  without 
being  properly  prepared,  we  shall,  as  we  proceed,  become  fired  with  a 
becoming  ardour,  and  pour  forth  our  spirit  in  real  sincerity  before 
the  Lord?  And  are  not  the  words  of  the  Psalms  and  of  our  own 
prayers  eminently  calculated  to  impress  the  mind  and  to  arouse  and 
enchain  the  attention? — Much  more  might  be  urged;  but  the  limits  of 
a  note  forbid  greater  enlarging,  and  enough  has  been  said  to  arouse  the 
thinking  Israelite  to  reflect  yet  more  deeply  on  this  important  subject. 
—I.  L. 


68  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

flow  readily  and  lightly  from  our  lips.  But  if,  on  the 
contrary,  the  disinclination  to  pray  is  indulged  in,  and 
we  cease  to  address,  because  we  find  no  comfort,  no  mani- 
fest reply,  because  the  sacred  exercise  is  never  perfectly 
performed:  we  voluntarily  deprive  ourselves  of  grace, 
and  sinking  deeper  and  deeper  into  error,  at  length  for- 
get there  is  a  God.  The  perfection*  of  prayer  has  never 
ye't  been  attained  on  earth;  but  the  soul  which  restrains 
the  first  wildness  of  enthusiasm,  and  ceases  not  in  its 
LOVE  for  G-od  to  urge  and  rouse  its  affections,  when  they 
flag  and  turn  darkly  and  sorrowing  from  a  duty  which 
in  this  life  of  trial  is  frequently  made  distasteful, — that 
soul  is  framing  for  herself  a  calm,  holy,  and  blissful 
temper,  which  the  frowns  of  the  world  cannot  shake, 
nor  sorrows  from  a  Father's  hands  for  any  length  of  time 
disturb. 

To  love  the  Lord  with  all  our  soul,  we  must  not  pour 
on  earthly  idols  the  essence  of  our  afi'ections ;  and  in  the 
devoted  love  we  bear  husband  or  wife,  children  or 
parents,  or  friends,  forget  Him  whose  gifts  they  are. 
God  is  love,  and  from  Him  the  intense  delights,  the 
changeless  blessings  of  earthly  afi'ections  spring;  yet 
our  frail  nature  is  but  too  often  apt  to  forget  the  Crea- 
tor in  the  creature.  The  earthly  beings  demand  and  re- 
ceive the  whole.  We  see  them,  hear  them,  years  of 
intimacy  increase  the  depth  of  our  feelings;  when  they 
are  absent  there  is  a  blank  alike  in  our  hearts  and  our 
hearths;  and  when  our  Father  said,  ''It  is  not  good  for 


*  This  assertion  appears  somewhat  too  sweeping ;  for  surely  there 
must  have  been  perfection  in  prayer  when  Abraham  prayed  for  sinful 
Sodom ;  when  Moses  asked  for  pardon  upon  a  rebellious  people,  and 
when  he  prayed  for  a  shepherd  over  the  Lord's  flock;  when  Elijah 
stood  alone  on  Carmel,  the  sole  remaining  prophet  of  truth,  when  all 
around  was  error. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  69 

man  to  be  alone,"  He  knew  that  this  would  be  so,  ay, 
intended  and  blessed  it.  He  meant  His  creatures  to 
love  one  another;  but  he  meant  not  that  He  should  be 
forgotten  in  that  love,  that  His  service  should  be  re- 
moved so  far,  His  holiness  be  deemed  too  great  for  do- 
mestic altars.  "1  the  Lord  God  am  a  jealous  God,"  He 
saith  again  and  again,  and  unless  our  dearest  and  purest 
earthly  love  is  traced  to,  and  enjoyed  in  Him,  we  love 
Him  not  as  He  commandeth,  and  our  fond  affections 
may  prove  ''the  whips  to  scourge  us."  Oh  none  that 
has  once  felt  the  blessing  of  purifying  earthly  affection 
by  the  love  we  bear  its  beneficent  Giver,  tracing  up  to 
Him  the  delights  it  engenders,  worshipping  Him,  hand 
in  hand  with  a  beloved  one — leading  his  children  to  His 
footstool,  and  teaching  them  to  feel  the  same  deep  love, 
and  trace  their  young  affections  to  the  same  immortal 
source:  none  that  has  once  experienced  this,  will  say 
that  such  willing  sacrifice  of  the  heart  to  God  tends  to 
decrease  the  force  of  earthly  affection;  he  will  acknow- 
ledge it  is  inexpressibly  heightened,  purified,  exalted, 
rendered  immortal;  for  such  love  ends  not  with  death. 
Was  it  not  this  love  which  Abraham  bore  to  Isaac? 
Hannah  to  Samuel  ?  enabling  the  one  to  offer  up  his  be- 
loved in  death,  the  other  to  part  with  him  that  he  might 
"serve  the  Lord"?  Nay,  was  it  not  this  which  bade 
Ruth  cling  to  Naomi,  and  incited  her  to  follow,  tend, 
and  love  with  a  purity,  a  devotedness  few  instances  have 
equalled?  And  shall  we  say  such  spiritual  love  is  a 
mere  illusion — a  beautiful  fable  impossible  to  be  realized  ? 
Alas !  it  is  not  easy  thus  to  devote  heart  and  soul  to  our 
God;  frequently  will  our  hearts  rebel  and  our  lips  mur- 
mur ;  often  shall  we  despair,  and  still  more  often  despond, 
and  feel  it  vain  to  bid  the  breath  of  life,  the  heavenly 
essence  breathed  into  us  by  our  merciful  Creator,  triumph 


70  THE    SPIKIT   OF    JUDAISM. 

over  the  corruption  of  the  earthly  vessel  which  contains 
it,  and  soar  in  thought  rejoicing  to  its  np.tural  home; 
constantly  we  shall  fall  back,  but  still — oh  let  us  perse- 
vere, and  pray,  and  trust;  pray  alike  for  ourselves,  and 
for  each  other — for  till  we  ''love  the  Lord,"  oh  how 
may  we  hope  for  the  delivery  of  Israel,  the  restoration 
of  Jerusalem! 


CHAPTER  IV. 


DEFINITION  OF  THE  WORD  MIGHT — LOVE  OF  GOD  CONSI- 
DERED AS  IT  REGARDS  OUR  DOMESTIC  AND  SOCIAL 
DUTIES. 

The  two  preceding  chapters  having  treated  the  love 
we  should  bear  to  God,  at  so  much  length,  it  would  seem 
as  if  little  were  left  for  farther  consideration.  We  shall 
find,  however,  as  we  proceed,  there  is  still  something 
more  intended  in  this  divine  command,  or  Moses  would 
have  framed  it  differently.  As  yet  we  have  only  consi- 
dered the  love  of  God  as  it  concerns  our  own  heart,  as  a 
duty  confined  in  its  operations  to  ourselves  individually. 
The  word  1^0  might,  as  it  is  here  used,  appears  to 
extend  farther,  and  teaches  us  to  serve  the  Lord  in  a 
somewhat  wider  sphere. 

Had  Moses  used  this  word  1^*2  as  an  adverb  (very 
or  greatly)  as  we  find  it  in  many  parts  of  the  sacred 
writings :  we  might  look  upon  it  only  as  very  greatly 
increasing  the  force  of  the  preceding  words,  and  render 
it  thus,  ''and  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thv  God,  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  to  o.n  exceeding  great 
degree,''  "IJ<0  as  a  particle  signifying  exceedingly,  in- 
tensely.    Nor  should  we  lose  sight  of  these  significations, 


\ 


THE  SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  71 

even  while  we  regard  it  as  the  noun  expressing  great 
strength,  ability,  power,  in  which  sense  it  is  evident  from 
the  pronoun  7\  being  attached  to  it,  that  Moses  used 
niND  thy  might.  We  only  find  it  so  used  twice  in  the 
whole  Bible,  indeed  we  may  say  only  once,  for  the  second 
time  (2  Kings  xxiii.  25)  it  is  but  a  repetition  of  the 
words  of  Moses,  "And  like  unto  him  (King  Josiah)  was 
there  no  king  before  him  that  turned  to  the  Lord  with 
all  his  heart,  and  with  all  his  soul,  and  ivith  all  his  might, 
according  to  the  law  of  Moses."  There  can,  therefore, 
be  no  doubt  as  to  the  deep  solemnity,  the  forcible  appeal 
contained  in  the  brief  command  we  are  considering;  the 

fact  that  the  Hebrew  expression  T[*!N*J  /ID II  "with 
all  thy  might"  is  never  once  used,  but  in  the  imperative 
mandate  to  "love  the  Lord,"  is  quite  sufficient  proof  of 
its  holiness,  to  authorize  our  regarding  it  as  distinct  from 
"heart"  and  "soul,"  and  to  endeavour  to  explain  its 
meaning  as  will  best  assist  our  efibrts,  not  only  to  love 
but  to  "serve  the  Lord." 

It  is  in  this  light  I  look  upon  it  principally :  we  can- 
not love  the  Lord  without  the  exceedins:  o;reat  desire  to 
serve  Him  to  the  very  best  of  our  ability,  to  use  our 
utmost  influence  in  His  cause,  and  make  obedience  to 
His  will  as  light,  and  dear,  and  precious  to  our  fellow- 
creatures,  as  we  find  it  ourselves.  "We  cannot  truly  love 
Him  if  we  do  not  feel  this,  if  universal  love  and  charity 
(the  terms  are  synonymous)  towards  all  around  us,  be 
they  of  our  own  or  of  the  stranger  creed,  do  not  fill  our 
hearts  to  overflowing,  and  we  long  to  make  manifest  to 
those  who  know  Him  not  the  blessedness  of  His  restrain- 
ing yoke. 

There  are  many  who  will  take  fright  at  these  words," 
as  tending  to  destroy  liberty  of  conscience,  and  seeking 
to  enslave  the  multitude,  and  yoke  them  to  the  opinions 


72  THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM. 

of  the  weak-minded  visionary,  who  believes  that  only  to 
himself  is  the  enlightening  grace  of  G-od  vouchsafed.  A 
little  patience  will  convince  them  that  they  have  started 
at  shadows.  That  is  not  religion,  that  is  not  love  of  God 
or  of  man,  which,  confining  itself  within  its  own  narrow 
sanctuary,  condemns  the  whole  human  race  to  perdition, 
save  the  few,  the  very  few  who  can  be  forced  to  think 
the  same.  Alas !  for  the  children  of  Adam,  if  such  were 
the  awful  sentence  of  our  God !  Where  too  is  His  long- 
suffering  love,  His  tender  ever-acting  mercies,  if  such 
were  the  economy  of  His  heavenly  kingdom,  and  all  were 
deemed  culprits,  and  sentenced  to  everlasting  misery, 
save  those  who  loved  and  worshipped  Him  alike?  If 
such  were  His  judgment,  should  one  of  us  be  saved? 
Should  even  one  have  a  demand  upon  His  favour?  Where, 
even  amongst  those  earnestly  and  sincerely  united  in  es- 
sentials, are  there  two  who  think  precisely  the  same  on 
minutiae?  And  shall  we,  sinful  and  finite  mortals  as  we 
are,  dare  to  say  the  aspirations  of  one  pious  heart  are 
more  acceptable  than  those  o  another,  because  they  come 
nearer  ourselves?  Did  not  from  this  belief  spring  the 
awful  miseries  attendant  on  the  times  of  persecution, 
not  only  as  endured  by  our  own  nation,  but  inflicted  by 
Christian  upon  Christian,  as  the  repeated  massacres  of 
the  Vaudois  and  of  the  Huguenots  on  the  fatal  24th  of 
August,  1572,  would  give  only  too  terrific  evidence? 
This  is  but  the  mockery  of  religion, — but  profanation ; 
for  not  thus  would  our  merciful  Father  that  we  should 
evince  the  fervour  of  our  love,  the  zealous  ardour  we  should 
show  in  His  service.  Even  as  the  beams  of  His  sun 
shed  heat,  and  light,  and  joy  on  all  alike,  so  may  we  be- 
lieve His  gracious  eye  looks  down  on  the  truly  pious  of 
every  creed:  demanding  an  extent  of  service  according 
to  the  measure  of  light  He  has  vouchsafed,  and  accepting. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  73 

ay,  and  answering  the  lowly  prayers  of  all  who  seek  Him 
in  love  and  truth,  in  whatever  faith  they  may  be  offered. 
And  while  we  shun  the  errors  of  belief,  which  is  easily 
accomplished  by  a  clear  comprehension  of  our  own,  in- 
stead of  scorning,  as  too  many  do,  and  believing  every 
act  and  appearance  of  piety  in  others  counterfeit,  because 
their  creed  is  mistaken,  and  yet  more,  because  we  feel 
it  not:  we  might  learn  many  a  lesson  of  lowly  wisdom 
and  simple  piety,  and  feel  our  hearts  swell  in  increased 
love  to  our  universal  Father  and  to  His  creatures. 

It  is  not  compelling  others  to  think  as  we  do,  which 
is  comprised  in  the  duty  to  use  our  utmost  influence  in 
the  holy  cause  of  God.  It  is  to  make  manifest  the  su- 
perior blessings  of  religion  over  mere  worldly  pleasures, 
to  prove  that  those,  who  earnestly  seek  to  fix  their  affec- 
tions upon  their  God,  are  provided  with  a  never-failing, 
never-changing  source  of  joy,  in  which  "a  stranger  in- 
termeddleth  not,"  that  they  need  fear  neither  the  pangs 
of  absence,  nor  the  hour  of  death;  for  their  God  is  with 
them,  wherever  a  harsh  duty  may  lead ;  He  is  ever 
present,  ever  near  them,  and  death  is  but  a  dark  passage 
which  will  end  in  eternal  light,  and  lead  them  to  His 
throne.  To  use  our  influence  in  His  service,  is  to  make 
Tnanifest  these  things;  to  prove  that,  be  our  lot  trial  or 
joy,  these  thoughts  are  ever  shedding  their  mild  radiance 
on  our  hearts,  strengthening  them  in  trial,  tempering 
them  in  joy,  and  guiding  and  inciting  the  simplest  action 
of  domestic  life. 

In  some  respects  the  power  of  proving  the  beauty  and 
comfort  of  a  religious  life  is  to  the  Hebrew  painfully  con- 
tracted. It  is  not  now  as  in  those  joyous  times  when 
*' the  field,  the  vineyard,  and  the  altar"  alone  occupied  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  Israel,  when  their  every  thought 
was  connected  with  their  universal  Father;  for  it  was 

7 


74  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

His  law  they  obeyed.  The  first  fruits  of  the  vineyard 
and  the  field  were  laid  aside,  not  as  tributes  to  an  earthly 
king,  but  as  an  accepted  offering  even  to  the  King  of 
kings.  If  we  were  asked  why  we  were  so  careful  ''  to 
leave  the  gleanings  of  the  harvest,  and  the  olive,  and  the 
grape,  for  the  poor  and  the  stranger;"  or  wherefore  "we 
rose  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and  honoured  the  face  of 
the  old  man;"  or  why  ''we  were  so  watchful  to  prevent 
unrighteousness  in  judgment,  weight,  or  measure:"  the 
Hebrews  would  reply,  Because  our  Father  in  heaven  so 
commanded;  and  thus  the  simplest  action  of  courtesy 
was  blessed  and  hallowed  by  its  connection  with  the 
Lord,  its  obedience  to  His  will.  Such  intimate  com- 
munion was  forfeited  by  the  sins  of  our  fathers;  nor  is 
it  now  even  as  it  was  in  the  dark  ages  of  persecution, 
when  the  Hebrew  clung  with  yet  greater  firmness,  more 
endearing  fondness,  to  the  faith  for  which  he  suff'ered. 
The  determination  in  secret  to  adhere  unchangeably  to 
the  Law  of  Moses,  incited  many  to  live  a  holier  life,  and 
ponder  frequently  on  Him,  in  whose  service  their  very 
lives  were  risked.  When  occupying  posts  of  high  trust 
and  favour  in  the  Spanish  court,  their  lineage  unknown, 
their  race  unsuspected,  though  they  could  scarcely  keep 
the  forms,  the  spirit  glowed  more  warmly  within.  In 
those  times,  when  torture  and  death  were  ever  hovering 
round  them,  was  a  son  of  Israel  ever  tempted  to  become 
a  Christian  ?  Did  we  then  hear  of  conversions,  of  aban- 
donment of  that  belief  which  we  received  from  the 
Eternal  ?  Nay,  was  it  not  then  that  many  turned  from 
abodes  of  luxury  and  ease,  deserting  the  cherished  hoards 
of  years,  exposing  themselves  to  every  imaginable  misery 
by  becoming  wanderers  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  rather 
than  accede  to  the  conditions  of  their  persecutors,  and  de- 
Bert  their  faith  ?    Was  it  not  then  that  the  sons  of  Israel 


THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  75 

in  deed  and  thought  obeyed  the  command  of  their  Lord, 
and  in  very  truth  loved  Him  with  all  their  heart,  and 
soul,  and  might?     Would  we  do  this  now? 

Through  the  infinite  mercy  of  an  infinitely  merciful 
God,  the  inexpressible  horrors  of  persecution  are  over : 
not  alone  are  we  granted  toleration,  and  permitted  to 
dwell  in  safety,  and  undisturbed  to  continue  the  practice 
of  our  religion,  but  by  the  truly  sincere  and  pious  Chris-; 
tian  the  consistent  Hebrew  is  ever  esteemed,  honoured, 
even  loved ;  and  how  do  we  repay  our  Father  in  heaven  ? 
Has  that  faith  so  beloved  in  adversity  become  less  beau- 
tiful, less  glorious,  less  lovable  in  prosperity,  that  we 
turn  from  it  to  embrace  another?  ''Is  the  hand  of  our 
Father  become  shortened  that  it  cannot  save  ?"  that  we 
live  as  if  we  needed  His  blessing,  His  saving  mercies  no 
more ?  ''Is  His  ear  heavy  that  it  cannot  hear,"  that  we 
cease  to  call  upon  Him,  save  with  careless  lips  and  wan- 
dering hearts?  Eeposing  in  security,  we  hear  not  or  heed 
not  the  imperious  call  breathing  in  His  law ;  or,  engaged 
in  the  heartless  repetition  of  antiquated  form,  forget  the 
antiquated  spirit,  without  which  it  is  a  void.  We  neglect 
to  instruct  our  children  in  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  to 
enforce  the  necessity  and  the  comfort  of  constant  com- 
munion with  their  God;  it  is  enough  if  they  fail  not  to 
do  as  w^e  do;  and  is  it  strange  then  that  those  whose 
hearts  thirst  and  hunger  after  divine  love,  divine  instruc- 
tion, should  at  length  fly  to  that  fold  where  they  believe 
there  are  shepherds  to  guide  and  to  console  ?  Or  that 
some  ambitious  spirits,  imagining  the  spiritless  forms,  to 
which  alone  their  attention  has  been  directed,  are  so 
many  chains  which  confine  them  to  one  spot,  one  employ, 
and  permit  no  enlarging  of  the  mind,  no  ascendency  in 
worldly  honours,  that  they,  too,  should  turn  from  their 
fathers'  God,  and  become  either  fors wearers  of  religion 


76  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

altogether,  or  embrace  the  first  creed  which  promises 
distinction  or  increase  of  worldly  gain?  If  the  love  and 
duty  they  owe  their  Father  in  heaven  has  never  been 
impressed  upon  their  infant  minds ;  if  their  childish  re- 
verence and  adoration  have  never  been  excited  by  the 
love  He  bears  to  them :  is  it  a  marvel  worldlv  interest  and 
earthly  ambition  should  fill  their  hearts  to  the  exclusion 
of  those  better  and  holier  thou2;hts  which,  as  the  chosen 
people,  should  be  peculiarly  their  own? 

It  is  this  melancholy  state  of  things  which  renders  the 
Hebrew's  powers  of  exalting  his  religion,  in  the  minds  of 
men,  so  painfully  contracted.  Yet  his  influence  should 
be  exercised  not  only  to  exalt  his  faith  in  the  views  of  his 
more  worldly-minded  brethren  alone,  but  in  the  sight  of 
the  whole  Christian  world.  He  is  peculiarly  situated ; 
comparatively  speaking,  he  stands  alone  amidst  a  vast 
multitude ;  on  his  conduct,  his  constancy,  depends 
wdiether  scorn  or  admiration  shall  be  excited  towards  the 
religion  which  stands  forth  embodied  in  himself.  Ac- 
cording as  his  life  is  actuated  by  its  principles,  so  will  it 
be  deemed  divine  or  otherwise;  and  at  the  present  time, 
when  to  prove  the  superiority  of  the  Christian  religion 
is  the  avowed  or  secret  determination  of  all  its  earnest 
members,  endeavouring  thus  to  obtain  converts,  has  not 
the  Hebrew  a  double  incentive  to  make  manifest  the 
spiritual  beauty,  the  unfailing  comfort  of  his  own  ?  This 
would  be  a  far  weightier  proof  of  the  divinity  and  sacred 
nature  of  our  faith  than  the  most  convincing  argument 
with  regard  to  actual  points  of  doctrine.  This  would  be 
evincing  our  love  to  our  universal  Father,  and  our  desire 
to  exalt  His  glory,  much  more  to  the  improving  of  our 
own  hearts,  and  to  the  enlarging  of  charity  towards  our 
fellows,  than  the  endeavour,  too  often  made  in  scorn  and 
hate,  to  found  the  truth  of  our  own  belief  on  the  falsity 


THE  SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  77 

and  degradation  of  the  Christian.*  Religious  argument 
never  fails  to  breed  dissension  and  abuse.  Though  our 
faith  be  not  shaken,  there  are  the  remains  of  a  raging 
storm  within  which  it  is  long  ere  we  can  calm.  If  we 
have  loved  the  person  with  whom  we  have  argued,  the 
painful  emotions  are  yet  stronger,  and  the  confidence 
even  of  affection  is  a  while  disturbed.  If  he  have  been 
indifferent  to  us,  that  indifference  is  too  often  turned  to 
contempt  and  dislike,  and  we  quit  the  field,  conscious  of 
having  done  no  good  to  ourselves  or  to  our  adversary, 
and  we  turn  with  a  ruffled  and  angry  heart  from  all  who 
dare  to  differ  from  us.  And  is  this  the  way  to  serve  the 
Lord,  to  prove  the  beauty  of  the  faith  we  adore? 
"Have  we  not  all  one  Father?     Hath  not  one  God 


*  Miss  Aguilar  has  in  the  above  failed  to  convey  her  thoughts  as 
clearly  as  they  might  have  been.  She  surely  does  not  mean  that  all 
the  Jews  do  not  enforce  a  holiness  of  life,  and  that  they  base  the 
truth  of  their  belief  upon  the  falsity  of  the  Christian.  I  should  regret, 
greatly  regret,  if  this  were  the  prevailing  error  among  our  English 
friends.  But  in  America  and  Germany,  where  I  am  somewhat  ac- 
quainted, we  neither  are  so  careless  of  spiritual  religion,  nor  intole- 
rant towards  those  holding  adverse  opinions.  I  will  not  say,  that 
sufficient  attention  is  paid  to  the  truths  of  faith  and  charity ;  because 
the  scattered  state  of  our  people  presents  obstacles  to  the  accession  of  a 
sufficient  number  of  spiritual  guides  among  us;  but  I  have  still  to 
learn  that  we  are  as  a  mass  less  awake  to  the  love  and  goodness  of  God 
than  are  our  gentile  neighbours.  And  as  regards  toleration  in  spirit, 
it  needs  no  argument  from  me  to  prove  that  gentiles  have  a  greater 
disrelish,  to  use  no  harsher  word,  towards  us  than  we  have  to  them. 
We  may  pardon  the  ignorant  for  their  over-zealous  contempt  of  Israel  • 
but  the  learned  can  have  no  excuse  for  their  wilful  disregai^  of  the 
fact  that  our  religion  is  based  upon  a  morality  as  pure  as  theirs  can 
possibly  be.  Again,  I  say,  that  I  would  deeply  deplore  if  a  similar 
state  prevails  among  our  own  people  in  England ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  Miss  Aguilar  and  others  engaged  in  similar  pious  labours  may 
with  Heaven's  blessing  succeed  in  bringing  about  an  improved  state  of 
feelings  and  conduct. — I.  L. 

7* 


« 


78  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

created  us  ?  Why  do  we  deal  treaclierously,  every  man 
against  his  brother,  by  profaning  the  covenant  of  our 
fathers?" 

To  love  the  Lord,  to  serve  Him,  the  Hebrew  should 
prove  by  his  whole  life  that  he  is  indeed  one  of  a  peculiar 
people,  whose  faith  is  "holy  unto  the  Lord."  Ls  he  ac- 
cused of  having  no  faith,  let  him  prove  he  has  more 
need  of  faith,  and  feels  it  yet  more  deeply,  than  the  Na- 
zarene;  that,  as  he  looks  upon  the  present  condition  of 
his  brethren,  he  has  faith,  or  he  must  disbelieve  the  past 
and  doubt  the  future.  Ls  he  told  his  is  a  stern,  cold, 
spiritless  religion,  that  can  only  look  to  a  rigid  and  ex- 
acting Judge,  in  whom  mercy  is  lost  in  justice :  -let  him 
bring  forward  his  Bible  to  prove  that  a  God  of  love  was 
revealed  to  the  Israelites,  many  centuries  before  the  birth 
of  himi  the  Christians  call  their  messiah.  Is  he  referred 
to  the  beautiful  morality  of  the  New  Testament  to  prove 
the  divinity  of  its  author :  let  him  again  turn  to  his  Bible 
to  prove  from  what  fountain  that  morality  originally 
came.  And  this  influence  can  be  used  without  one  word 
of  reference  to  points  of  doctrine.  Let  the  Hebrew's 
every  action  be  guided  by  the  love  he  bears  his  God ;  let 
him  adhere  to  every  form  as  bringing  him  closer  to  his 
God,  by  manifesting  the  obedience  of  a  loving  child,  not 
of  a  terrified  slave;  let  him  find  so  much  delight  and 
comfort  in  his  religion  that  retirement  and  poverty  are 
preferable  to  riches  and  distinction,  if  these  are  only  to 
be  purchased  by  its  relinquishment ;  let  him  respect  his 
religion  himself,  and  he  will  never  fail  to  find  it  respected 
by  others.  Let  the  Hebrew  attend  more  closely  to  these 
things,  make  more  evident  his  love  to  his  God,  his  re- 
verence to  His  ordinances,  the  comfort  he  derives  from 
this  communion:    and  we  would   hear  no  more  of  at- 


THE   SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM.  79 

tempted  conversions,  no  more  of  wonderful  converts;* 
and  this  indeed  would  be  seeking  to  serve  the  Lord,  to 
love  Him  with  all  our  might. 

But  it  is  not  to  the  Nazarene  world  alone  we  should 
make  manifest  the  comfort  and  beauty  of  our  Father's 
faith.  Many  who  are  hesitating  and  lukewarm  might  be 
led  to  think  more  serioUvsly  on  this  all-important  topic, 
were  the  example  of  its  professors  such  as  might  win  the 
heart  and  attract  the  affection.  The  humblest  member 
of  a  domestic  circle  might  thus  forward  the  sacred  cause 
of  God.  His  sphere  of  action  is  possibly  contracted;  but 
home  is  the  spot  where  the  influence  of  true  piety  is  most 
strongly  felt,  where  the  blossoms  of  that  lovely  plant 
shed  the  rarest  fragrance,  and  bring  forth  the  sweetest 
fruit.  What  is  so  likely  to  check  the  impatient  reply,  the 
unavoidable  irritation,  the  peevish  temper,  as  religion  ? 
What  will  teach  us  to  bear  and  forbear,  to  forc^ive  the 
unkind  look,  the  hasty  word,  to  give  up  our  dearest 
wishes  at  the  call  of  duty,  save  that  blessed  spirit  which 
springs  from  the  love  of  God?  Secret  and  constant 
communion  with  Him  can  alone  bring  the  duties  of  sub- 
mission, patience,  charity,  forgiveness,  gentleness,  to  any 
perfection;  and  these  virtues,  like  the  silent  stars,  are 
more  needed  in  the  holy  shade  of  home,  than  in  the  broad 
sunshine  of  society.  There,  fear  of  the  world's  con- 
tumely, of  earthly  disgrace^  is  often  sufficient  to  keep  us 


*  This  and  a  few  other  similar  expressions,  used  before  by  my  friend, 
I  believe  to  allude  to  an  unfortunate  case  of  the  conversion  of  the 
daughter  of  a  highly  honoured  family,  under  the  plea  that  she  had 
never  been  properly  impressed  with  the  spirituality  of  religion,  till  she 
heard  it  propounded  in  an  Episcopal  church.  I  believe,  however,  the 
case  to  be  a  solitary  one  almost,  at  all  events  very  rare ;  the  name  of 
the  convert  is  withheld  because  of  motives  of  delicacy  for  her  piou8 
mother,  and  because  it  could  add  no  strength  to  these  remarks. — I.  L. 


80  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

on  our  guard.  It  is  easy  to  govern  ourselves  for  a  time, 
to  behave  with  studied  courtesy,  to  speak  with  polished 
ease ;  the  rules  of  society  are  enough  for  this ;  but  to 
practise  such  virtues  at  home,  requires  a  higher  and 
holier  motive.  Even  the  duty  we  owe  our  parents,  or 
the  love  we  feel  towards  those  with  whom  we  continually 
associate,  is  not  of  itself  sufficient.  If  we  look  into  the 
Bible,  we  shall  find  lessons  for  home,  as  well  as  for  our 
conduct  in  the  world. 

In  submission  to  the  prejudices  of  the  aged,  humility 
to  our  superiors,  charity*  towards  the  failings  of  our 
equals,  patience  with  our  inferiors,  forgiveness  (that 
cheerful  forgiveness  which  forgets  as  well  as  pardons)  of 
provocations  which  are  unavoidable  even  in  the  fondest 
intimacy;  in  that  control  which  puts  some  check  on  the 
irritation  and  ill- temper  occasioned  by  those  numberless 
petty  provocations  from  which  no  domestic  circle  is  free; 
in  the  cherishing  of  that  holy  gentleness  which  never 
fails  to  render  us  beloved: — if  in  these  virtues  the  in- 

■'^  "  Rabbi  Meir  said  :  Every  one  who  engages  in  the  study  of  the 
law  from  a  pure  motive,  will  attain  many  things  ;  and  not  alone  this, 
but  he  is  worthy  to  enjoy  all  the  world;  he  is  thereby  called  friend, 
beloved,  a  lover  of  God,  a  lover  of  mankind,  rejoicing  God,  rejoicing 
man,  and  he  is  clothed  with  meekness  and  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  is 
enabled  to  become  pious,  righteous,  upright  and  faithful,  is  removed 
from  sin,  and  brought  near  to  a  meritorious  course  of  life, — and  he 
will  become  like  a  stream  that  grows  stronger  as  it  progresses  in  its 
course,  and  a  river  whose  waters  never  dry  up ;  and  he  will  be 
modestly  retiring,  long  suffering,  willingly  forgiving  insults  offered 
him,  and  be  raised  and  exalted  above  all  creatures."  This  is  in  part 
the  beautiful  idea  which  one  of  our  ancient  sages  conveyed  of  an  en- 
lightened piety.  Are  we  willing  to  follow  this  guide  in  our  own  inter- 
course with  God  and  man  ?  Is  our  public  exhibition  of  character, 
where  the  eyes  of  the  world  are  upon  us,  the  same  as  when  we  are 
alone  in  the  bosom  of  our  family,  or  even  solitary  in  our  closet,  with 
no  eye  to  see  save  tliat  of  God,  with  no  ear  to  listen  to  our  words,  un- 
less it  be  the  Providence  above,  whose  ken  is  ever  on  us  ? — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  81 

fluence  of  piety  be  silently  at  work,  much  will  be  done 
for  the  cause  of  God.  Others  may  be  led  to  examine 
into  the  secret  cause  of  this  heavenly  peace  and  blessed- 
ness, which  perhaps  they  envy;  and  if  they  trace  it  to 
the  ever-working  influence  of  an  earnest  love  for  their 
Father  in  heaven  and  a  desire  to  serve  Him,  they  too 
may  wish  to  follow  in  His  paths,  and  deem  that  yoke 
indeed  light  and  glad  which  can  produce  such  happy 
effects.  Precept  is  too  often  doubted;  we  look  on  pro- 
fessors of  religion  with  a  jealous  eye;  and  if  they  fail, 
the  effect  of  their  most  eloquent  appeal  is  lost  entirely. 
But  very  different  is  the  effect  of  discovering  religion  to 
be  the  secret  source  in  each  and  all  of  those  gentle  and 
lovable  qualities  which  in  the  first  instance  attracted  us. 
At  first  we  admire  and  revere  at  a  distance,  then,  as  we 
draw  near  and  love,  comes  the  question,  why  cannot  we 
too  "  go  and  do  likewise"  ? 

In  this  manner  the  humblest  member  of  society  may 
serve  the  Lord,  and  benefit  his  fellow-creatures,  may 
make  evident  by  example,  far  more  forcibly  than  by  mere 
precept,  the  beauty  and  solidity  of  his  internal  piety ; 
and  if  there  should  be  an  opportunity  to  manifest  the 
benevolence  and  philanthropy  with  which  his  heart  is 
filled,  his  words  may  fall  with  a  powerful  weight;  for 
they  will  be  traced  from  the  same  source  as  his  actions, 
and  the  blessing  of  leading  one  soul  to  the  Fount  of  Life 
may  at  length  be  his. 

There  can  be  no  true  religion  without  benevolence, 
without  the  ever-active  desire  for  others  to  taste  the  com- 
forts and  blessings  we  enjoy,  not  alone  corporeally,  but 
spiritually.  This  is  one  unfailing  proof  of  the  heart's  re- 
generation, of  its  springing  up  from  the  cords  and  chains 
which  have  attached  it  to  sin,  and  faintly  reflecting  the 
"  divine  image  in  which  man  was  made/' — faintly  indeed, 


82  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

yet  truly,  as  we  trace  the  glorious  image  of  the  sun  in 
the  quivering  dew-drop  which  melts  before  his  beams. 
In  those  that  love,  that  serve,  that  perseveringly  seek  to 
resemble  their  Father  in  heaven  in  universal  charity, 
forbearance,  beneficence,  and  love,  benevolence  is  very 
strongly  marked ;  it  is  the  virtue  which  assimilates  us 
most  with  His  divine  image;  the  virtue  which  should  be 
the  peculiar  characteristic,  the  loveliest  inheritance  of 
His  chosen  heritage;  for  more  repeatedly,  if  possible, 
more  powerfully  than  any  other,  is  it  inculcated  in  the 
Book  of  Life. 

Why  are  we  instructed  so  particularly  in  the  slaughter 
of  those  animals  granted  us  for  food?  but  that  they  should 
be  killed  in  the  quickest  and  easiest  manner?  Why  for- 
bidden to  yoke  the  ass  and  the  ox  together?  because  that 
which  the  ox  could  bear  would  injure  and  hurt  the  ass. 
Why  so  expressly  threatened  wdth  awful  retribution, 
if  we  forbore  to  assist  the  overburdened  ass  of  one  we 
hated  ?  W^hy  ordered  to  let  the  parent  bird  go  free :  if 
benevolence  even  towards  the  brute  creation  were  not  to 
be  the  first  and  dearest  moral  virtue  of  the  Israelites? 
What  code  of  laws,  save  those  of  a  perfect,  holy,  and  glo- 
rious God,  would  so  care  for  the  very  lowest  of  His  crea- 
tures, would  enter  so  minutely  into  instructions  for  moral 
duties,  that  if  obeyed  as  they  were  intended  to  be,  would 
even  now  mark  the  Hebrew  as  in  truth  the  follower  of  a 
divine  law,  and  exalt  his  religion  far  above  every  other? 
Where,  save  in  the  law  of  Moses,  do  we  find  benevolence 
so  emphatically,  so  continually  enforced,  in  the  care,  alike 
of  the  brute  creation,  and  of  all  ranks  and  conditions  of 
men,  the  aged,  the  blind,  the  deaf,  the  poor,  and  the 
stranger,  perfect  in  their  equity  and  love,  as  the  nature 
of  Him  who  framed  them;  yet  so  suited  to  the  heart  and 
temper  of  imperfect  man,  so  home-speaking  in  their  uni- 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  83 

versal  appropriateness,  that  never  could  the  Hebrew 
excuse  himself  from  obedience  by  the  plea,  those  laws 
were  framed  for  angels  and  not  for  men,  or  at  least  for 
better  men,  than  he  is? 

T^hose  who  are  so  desirous  to  exalt  the  code  of  Jesus 
above  that  in  which  their  fathers  believed  and  trusted, 
and  who  declare  the  simple  sentence,  ''Do  unto  others  as 
ye  would  be  done  by,"  is  worth  all  the  Mosaic  precepts, 
would  do  well  to  refer  to  Leviticus  xix.  18,  where  in  the 
divine  precept,  "  Thou  shalt  not  avenge  nor  bear  any 
grudge  against  the  children  of  thy  people,  but  thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbour*  as  thyself,"  they  may  chance  to  find 
the  origin  not  only  of  the  above-quoted  sentence,  but  of 
many  others  in  the  gospel,  whose  excellence  is  indeed 
undeniable,  seeing  that  they  proceed  from  the  same  pure 
fountain;  but  as  the  Israelites  possess  the  original  un- 
adulterated spring,  they  have  no  need  to  quit  the  belief 
of  their  fathers  to  discover  it. 

In  one  respect  benevolence  is  still  a  beautiful  charac- 
teristic of  the  Hebrew  nation,  and  that  is  the  open  ear, 
and  the  open  heart  to  the  cry  of  poverty  and  sorrow,  not 
confined  to  the  distress  of  brethren  alone,  but  a  case  of 
Christian  distress  is  as  promptly  and  generously  relieved. 
In  a  small  village  near  the  metropolis,!  many  Nazarene 
families  learned  to  call  down  blessings  on  a  Jewish  bene- 
factress, and  to  feel  that  true  charity  was  not  confined 
to  the  Christian  heart  alone;  many  poor  children,  clothed, 
fed,  instructed  by  her  goodness,  might  have  been  seen 

*  So  likewise,  speaking  of  a  slave  who  has  escaped  from  his  master 
to  seek  the  protection  of  the  Hebrew  laws,  the  Bible  says  (Deut.  xxiii. 
16):  "  He  shall  dwell  with  thee — in  that  place  which  he  shall  choose — 
thou  shalt  not  oppress  him."  In  Lev.  xix.  34,  we  are  commanded  to 
love  the  stranger  as  ourselves,  because  we  had  been  strangers. — I.  L. 

f  London. 


84  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

ga^mbolling  on  the  lawn  of  a  Hebrew  dwelling,  rejoicing 
in  the  sunshine  of  that  ever-active  benevolence,  which, 
as  some  suppose,  can  be  found  in  the  Christian  alone. 
And  when  it  pleased  God  to  remove  the  wealth  which 
had  permitted  her  to  do  these  things,  the  bitterest  drop 
in  her  cup  of  peculiarly  aggravated  sorrow  was  the 
thought,  that  the  poor  little  Jewish  and  Christian  chil- 
dren could  no  longer  bless  her  name.  Time,  which  has 
softened  other  trials,  and  reconciled  her  truly  noble  yet 
lowly  heart  to  individual  privations  which  would  have 
bowed  less  faithful  spirits  repining  to  the  dust,  has  had 
no  efiect  in  this.  Still  is  the  tear  called  forth,  the  kindly 
spirit  wrung  even  to  anguish,  when  distress  comes  near 
her  door,  and  she  has  no  longer  power  to  relieve  it.  How 
blessed  then  the  thought,  that  her  earnest  wish  is  known 
to  the  Searcher  of  hearts,  and  that  in  His  sight  the  start- 
ing tear  and  quivering  sigh  are  dear,  perchance  dearer 
than  many  gifts  of  gold.* 

Nor  is  this  a  solitary  instance  of  Hebrew  charity.  Yet 
while  we  admire  and  revere  the  relief  the  rich  and  power- 
ful, ay,  and  not  these  alone,  are  ever  ready  to  bestow: 
the  truly  pious  Israelite  may  often  in  secret  wish,  the 
spirit  of  piety,  the  earnest  desire  to  love  and  obey  the 
God  of  beneficence,  which  was  the  secret  source  of  that 
benevolence  exemplified  above,  were  more  intimately 
ming-led  with  it.  We  do  not  love  the  Lord  with  all  our 
might,  and  seek  to  serve  Him  and  exalt  His  glory :  if 
charity  merely  proceeds  from  the  kindliness  of  our  own 
tempers,  or  tenderness  of  our  own  hearts,  or  a  yet 
stronger  motive  in  the  more  opulent  and  more  ambitious 


*  I  regret  that  the  author  has  not  mentioned  the  name  of  this  noble 
daughter  of  Israel;  as  surely  the  memory  of  one  so  worthy  ought  to 
be  blessed.     Was  it  her  own  mother  ? — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  85 

ranks,  from  a  secret,  yet  no  less  ardent  desire,  by  a  dis- 
play of  liberality  to  obtain  honour  and  consideration  in 
the  Christian  world. 

Liberality  is  not  benevolence,  any  more  than  the  act 
of  giving  money  is  true  charity.  Benevolence  is  truly 
a  religious  pi'inciple,  it  begins  and  ends  in  religion ;  it 
lifts  up  the  heart  to  God,  at  the  same  moment  it  expands 
it  towards  man.  It  seeks  to  expend  its  love  and  adora- 
tion for  Him,  in  the  service  of  His  creatures;  and  there- 
fore it  is,  that  charity  cannot  be  perfect  unless  it  seeks 
the  amelioration  of  the  moral  and  religious  condition  of 
the  poor,  as  well  as  the  relief  of  their  more  crying  and 
immediate  wants. 

The  desire  to  improve  our  needy  brethren,  spiritually 
as  well  as  temporally,  can  only  proceed  from  the  firm 
conviction  within  ourselves  of  the  necessity,  as  well  as 
the  blessing,  of  serving  the  Lord.  Our  power  in  this 
respect  is  painfully  limited,  compared  with  the  nations 
around  us.  Yet,were  the  desire  more  strongly  felt,  some- 
thincr  mio^ht  in  time  be  done,  and  the  Hebrews  throw  off 
the  dark  shackles  of  blinded  superstition  and  of  preju- 
dices founded  on  a  deplorable  state  of  ignorance,  which 
is  to  be  feared  is  only  too  often  found  amongst  them  now. 
The  poor,  even  as  children,  need  instruction  in  their 
religion;  it  will  not  come  untaught,  nor  can  its  mild 
consoling  lustre  beam  from  the  trammels  of  tradition,* 
which  must  increase  in  incomprehensible  obscurity  with 


*  I  am  not  permitted  to  alter  the  text  so  as  to  destroy  the  meaning; 
or  else  I  should  certainly  have  altered  this  sentence ;  for  without  claim- 
ing for  tradition  all  that  some  assert  for  it,  there  is  doubtlessly  found 
laid  down  therein  nearly  the  whole  of  our  ovjn  manner  of  interpretation 
and  mode  of  life.  How  else  are  we  to  read  Scripture,  unless  it  be  ia 
accordance  with  the  views  of  our  predecessors?  What  else  forms  thd 
distinction  between  us  and  Christians? — I.  L. 

8  ._^.. 


86  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

each  new  generation.  The  clear  conception  of  our 
heavenly  Father  will  not  come  of  itself;  it  can  only 
reach  the  mind  through  that  word  in  which  Infinity 
was  revealed,  according  to  the  comprehension  of  finite 
man. 

The  human  mind  needs  enlargement  and  improvement 
for  the  reception  of  the  simple,  yet  sublime  truths  of 
religion,  even  for  the  consoling  belief  in  a  God  of  love. 
For  this  purpose  even  the  best-directed  charity,  if  it 
consist  only  in  alms  or  similar  relief,  will  not  avail. 
There  are  difl&culties,  barriers  around  the  Jewish  poor, 
almost  unknown  to  other  nations.  Confined  to  one  quarter 
of  large  cities,  often  to  trades  of  the  meanest  and  lowest 
kind,  without  the  power  of  seeking  employment  in  other 
parts  of  the  country,  even  if  their  inclinations  so  prompted, 
their  minds  must  become  narrowed,  prejudiced,  and  puffed 
up  with  a  sort  of  pride,  or  self-consequence,  which  sets 
at  defiance  every  benevolent  intention,  and  frustrates  all 
attempts  for  their  spiritual  and  temporal  improvement. 
A  superficial  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  tongue,  just  suffi- 
cient to  repeat  their  prayers  and  blessings  at  stated  hours, 
conscious  they  are  doing  a  necessary  duty,  but  utterly 
unconscious  of  the  nature  of  Him  they  thus  address; 
well  versed  in  traditional  lore,  but  wholly  ignorant  of 
the  spirit  of  the  Bible,  of  the  peculiar  duties  which  as 
members  of  God's  chosen  people  devolve  on  them :  these 
are  the  abuses  w^hich  those  who  "love  the  Lord"  and 
have  His  service  at  heart  should  most  earnestly  seek  to 
remedy  and  attend  to,  particularly  in  those  establish- 
ments which  the  benevolent  have  founded  for  the  edu- 
cation of  the  rising  generation. 

A  strictly  moral  education  is  not  sufficient  for  the  real 
improvement  of  the  Hebrew  poor.  They  need  religion, 
simple,  heartfelt,  yet  ever-guiding  religion;  and  this  can 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  87 

only  be  obtained  by  teaching  them  their  EnglisK^  Bibles ; 
by  seeking  books  to  assist  them  in  their  comprehension; 
by  employing  those  of  their  own  class,  in  whose  advancing 
youth  a  good  discrimination  may  trace  abilities  for  the 
task,  to  select  portions  out  of  standard  religious  works, 
which  will  give  weight  to  the  words  of  Divine  love,  by 
rendering  them  more  adapted  to  the  minds  of  their 
younger  companions;  and  if  there  be  not  sufficient  of 
these  good  books  by  Hebrew  writers,  there  are  many, 
very  many  excellent  aids  to  the  spirit  of  religion  found 
in  books  written  indeed  for  Christians,  which  to  separate 
from  the  actual  belief  might  form  a  pleasing  and  laudable 
employment  for  the  benevolent  Hebrew,  whose  limited 
means  prevent  any  more  active  participation  in  the  cha- 
ritable acts  of  his  richer  and  more  influential  brethren. 
Why  should  we  be  startled  at  selecting  portions  from 
Christian  authors?  The  morality  they  inculcate,  the 
spirit  they  breathe,  come  from  the  fount  in  which  we  both 
believe, — the  Old  Testament.  They  may  believe  that 
Jesus  first  preached  the  doctrine  of  love  and  saving 
mercy;  but  we  know  it  was  ours  many  centuries  before, 
ours  by  right  of  primogeniture  and  of  that  redeeming 
love  which,  delivering  us  from  cruelty  and  bondage, 
marked  us  as  the  first-born  of  the  Lord. 

Knowing  this,  imprinting  it  from  the  very  first  on  the 
yielding  heart  of  the  child,  bidding  him  look  to  the  w^ord 
of' God,  to  the  law  of  Moses,  as  the  mainspring,  not  only 
of  the  religion  in  which  he  believes,  but  of  every  other 
which  acknowledges  a  God  of  salvation  and  mercy,  de- 

*  Being  as  we  are  inheritors  of  the  Hehrew  language  no  less  than 
the  Scriptures,  it  is  evidently  our  duty  to  make  ourselves,  if  possible, 
familiar  with  the  original,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  judge  with  some  know- 
ledge of  the  correctness  or  otherwise  of  the  translation  which  is  offered 
to  us  as  a  transcript  of  the  word  of  God. — I.  L. 


88  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

spite  tlie  difference  of  creeds;  as  the  fountain  of  life  and 
light,  typical  of  that  which  flows  in  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  for  evermore,  and  from  which  springs  that  uni- 
versal spirit  of  religion  which,  utterly  distinct  from  creed, 
or  form,  or  service,  dwells  in  every  pious  heart :  there 
can  be  no  danger  in  selecting  and  appropriating  portions 
of  those  Christian  writers  earnest  in  their  cause.  The 
Hebrew  thus  employed  would  find  benefit  to  himself 
arising  from  benevolence  towards  others;  nor  need  he 
fear  his  mite  is  too  lowly  to  be  acceptable  to  the  Giver 
of  all  good.  We  do  not  think  enough  on  the  good  we 
may  do  our  needy  brethren  by  leading  them  to  read  and 
understand  the  word  of  God,  by  supplying  them  with 
aids  for  the  proper  acquirement  of  that  knowledge,  and 
inciting  them  to  rise  superior  to  the  superstitions  of  tra- 
dition and  prejudice  which  have  shackled*  them  so  long, 
and  to  look  to  their  Bibles  alonef  for  support  and  com- 
fort in  affiiction,  for  the  guidance  and  direction  in  every 
social,  domestic,  moral,  and  religious  duty,  for  the  re- 
moval of  every  lingering  terror,  contained  in  the  anti- 
cipation of  death  and  judgment;  in  a  word,  for  their 
instruction  how  to  live,  and  for  their  hopes  of  immor- 
tality. 

Till  this  is  done,  till  the  poor  are  taught  religion  as 


*  It  is  not  tradition  which  has  shackled  the  Jewish  mind,  but  the 
cruelty  exercised  by  Christians,  pagans,  and  Mahometans  towards 
our  bodies  and  spirits  both.  Prejudice  against  others  is  the  result  of 
oppression ;  remove  this,  look  upon  us  as  equals,  and  the  evil  will 
speedily  be  removed  from  our  minds  also.  For  kindness  will  beget 
kindness,  as  cruelty  begot  hatred. — I.  L. 

f  The  word  alone  strikes  me  as  not  quite  proper;  for  if  wc  reject  all 
information  in  this  great  inquiry  except  what  we  can  draw  from  our 
own  experience,  we  must  evidently  be  but  inditferent  judges  of  Scrip- 
ture. No,  we  must  of  necessity  "ask  our  fathers  who  shall  Ull  us, 
and  our  elders  who  are  to  inform  us." — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  89 

well  as  morality,  and  reading,  writing,  and  other  neces- 
saries towards  gaining  an  honest  livelihood:  the  benevo- 
lent Hebrew  can  never  hope  tb  behold  the  regeneration 
of  his  indigent  brethren ;  he  can  never  hope  to  behold 
them  occupying  a  respectable  and  respected  situation  in 
the  world,  as  long  as  petty  meanness,  cringing  servility, 
or  presuming  insolence,  marks  their  intercourse  with  the 
Christian;  he  can  never  hope  to  see  his  religion  loved 
and  respected  in  them,  till  they  have  learned  to  love  and 
respect  it  themselves.  To  do  this,  even  simply  to  desire 
this,  charity  must  be  intimately  mingled  with  the  love  of 
God.  To  serve  Him,  to  exalt  His  glory  in  the  eyes  and 
hearts  of  men,  to  make  the  ignorant  and  the  destitute 
share  His  blessings  and  promises,  to  impart  to  them  His 
love,  and  strengthen  them  for  their  lives  of  trial  by  the 
conviction  they  are  all  and  each,  individually,  objects  of 
His  tender  care:  this  is  the  charity  springing  from,  and 
ending  in  Him,  and  this  should  be  the  incentive  of  every 
Hebrew  heart.  If,  while  we  interest  ourselves  in  the 
poor,  we  think  not  of  Him  who  hath  said  the  poor  and 
the  stranger  mifst  be  cared  for,  can  we  hope  our  good 
works  will  be  accepted?  Is  it  not  rather  to  be  feared 
some  secret  motive,  some  unconscious  selfishness  may 
lurk  within,  and,  filling  up  our  hearts,  entirely  prevent 
the  entrance  of  the  image  of  God,  and  rob  our  actions 
of  that  sweet  savour  which  would  otherwise  ascend  to 
heaven,  and  be  accepted  as  the  burnt-off"erings  of  old  ? 

''  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  thou  shalt  find  it 
after  many  days;"  this  is  sufficient  proof  that  we  are  not 
to  "withhold  the  good  that  it  is  in  the  power  of  our  hand 
to  do,"  because  of  the  doubtful  merit  of  those  we  would 
relieve.  As  the  running  waters  bear  from  our  view  the 
bread  we  have  cast  upon  them,  so  too  may  the  good  we 
have  wished  to  do  been  hidden  from  our  sight;  but  as  a 

8* 


90  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

renewed  current  or  a  change  of  wind  may  bring  back  to 
us  what  we  have  cast  upon  the  stream,  and  looked  upon 
for  many  days  as  lost,  so  'will  the  blessing  of  the  Lord 
return  into  our  own  bosoms  the  good  which  we  may  have 
failed  to  bestow  on  others.  The  fruit  of  benevolence 
may  not  be  found  on  earth,  the  blighting  wind  of  ingra- 
titude, the  nipping  frost  of  deceit,  may  have  outwardly  de- 
stroyed the  goodly  tree ;  but  within  our  own  bosoms  it  shall 
bloom,  nourished,  cherished  by  the  blessing  of  the  Lord, 
and  we  shall  find  its  fruit  in  heaven.  But  this  comfort 
can  only  be  realised  by  those  who  are  benevolent,  simply 
because  they  seek  to  follow  the  path  of  their  Father  in 
heaven,  who  desire  to  do  good  to  others,  because  the 
ever-active  love  they  bear  their  God  urges  them  to  serve 
their  fellow-creatures,  and  bids  them  share  the  blessings 
so  lavishly  bestowed  on  them.  Charity  proceeding  from 
any  other  motive  is  far  more  likely  to  end  in  pain  and 
vexation  of  spirit ;  for  if  the  love  of  God  hath  not  been 
associated  with  the  endeavour  to  do  good,  the  thought 
that  His  love  saw  and  blessed  the  deed  cannot  console  us 
in  its  failure. 

Let  a  child  be  accustomed  to  set  aside  a  portion  of  his 
pocket-money,  be  the  pittance  ever  so  small,  and  only 
perhaps  sufficient  to  scatter  it  in  halfpence  amongst  the 
miserable  objects  who  appeal  to  him  in  his  daily  walks. 
Let  one  half-hour  be  reserved  for  our  little  girls  from  the 
more  showy  and  fatiguing  avocations  of  the  daily  school- 
room, for  the  simple  purpose  of  working  for  the  poor  and 
desolate  of  their  own  age;  and  if  the  love  of  their  bene- 
ficent Creator  be  associated  in  both  the  reservation  of 
their  mite  and  the  employment  of  their  hands,  we  Iny 
the  foundation  of  that  true  benevolence  in  the  infant 
mind  which  is  in  itself  an  oftering  unto  God.  We  bring 
them  closer  to  their  Father  in  heaven ;  for  by  comparing 


THE  SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  91 

their  lot  with  those  they  seek  to  relieve,  their  young 
hearts  are  filled  with  gratitude  and  love  to  their  God, 
with  a  desire  to  honour  Him  by  having  mercy  on  His 
poor;  and  we  prepare  them  for  an  increase  of  benevo- 
lence and  good  deeds  with  increase  of  years  and  means. 
Above  all,  let  us  not  chill  the  warm  expanding  heart  of 
childhood,  by  caution  against  the  fraud  which  so  often 
lurks  in  the  garb  of  misery;  better  let  the  willing  copper 
be  given  ten  times  in  vain,  than  let  pass  by  one  true  case 
of  suffering.  It  is  time  to  caution  when  there  is  more 
to  give;  but  not  in  that  beautiful  spring  of  life,  when 
all  seems  as  true  and  guileless  as  the  young  heart  itself. 
The  sums  squandered  on  expensive  toys,  expensive 
dresses,  are  not  regarded,  nor  is  the  selfishness  they  en- 
gender in  any  way  considered  ;  yet  how  many  good  feel- 
ings and  kindly  charities  might  be  engrafted,  if  part  of 
these  sums  were  laid  aside  for  the  inculcation  of  bene- 
volence, even  granting  that  the  undiscerning  charity  of 
children  should  be  more  than  once  abused.  Let  them 
sometimes  be  encouraged  to  give  up  a  desired  pleasure  or 
favourite  toy  for  the  superior  gratification  of  relieving 
a  fellow-creature,  and  proving  that  they  desire  to  love 
their  God;  and  we  need  not  fear  but  that  as  their  cha- 
racter matures,  benevolence  will  form  no  inconsiderable 
part.  If  we  need  farther  incentive,  farther  proof,  we 
have  but  to  search  the  pages  of  Holy  Writ  to  feel  that  in 
relieving  the  poor  we  glorify  the  Lord;  or  the  blessings 
on  the  benevolent  would  not  be  so  continually,  so  em- 
phatically promised;  and  we  shall  scarcely  fail  to  re- 
member that  how'ever  guarded  may  be  our  lives,  however 
closely  we  may  adhere  to  the  precepts  of  the  Lord,  how- 
ever we  may  feel  assured  we  do  love  Him  with  all  our 
heart  and  soul  and  might,  that  love  is  not  perfect  or  ac- 
ceptable in  His  sight  unless  "  we  have  mercy  on  the  poor." 


92  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 


CHAPTER  V. 

BRIEF  REVIEW  OF  THE  COMMANDMENTS  AND  THE  SOCIAL 
DUTIES   THEREIN   COMPRISED. 

Many  Hebrews  may  perhaps  object  to  the  lengthened 
consideration  of  the  second  verse  of  the  Shemang,  which 
the  three  preceding  chapters  contain ;  that  it  is  following 
the  false  lights  of  the  Nazarene,  and  spiritualising  and 
mystifying  a  simple  truth;  that  the  command  to  love  the 
Lord  with  all  our  heart,  and  soul,  and  might,  simply 
means  to  pray  to  Him  and  praise  Him,  and  obey  His 
laws  as  far  as  lies  in  our  power — that  is  to  say,  as  far  as 
we  conveniently  can,  without  interfering  with  our  more 
pressing  calls  of  interest  and  ambition ;  that  it  is  folly  to 
suppose  that  such  a  short  sentence,  such  a  simple  com- 
mand can  mean  any  thing  more  than  a  mere  religious 
injunction,  or  that  it  interferes  in  any  way  wi*th  the  moral 
duties,  Alas !  that  such  should  be  the  calm  and  rational 
belief  of  any  who  bear  the  name  of  Israel !  that  any 
member  of  that  nation  to  whom  God  revealed  His  glory, 
that  nation  He  selected  as  His  own,  to  be  His  witnesses, 
His  peculiar  treasure — that  any  one  should  seek  so  per- 
severingly  to  divide  our  duties  to  God  from  those  to  man, 
that  even  amongst  the  strictly  moral,  the  truly  honour- 
able, who  bear  the  Jewish  name,  the  belief  should  exist 
that  the  service  of  God  is  distinct,  too  holy,  too  sacred, 
to  be  our  guide  in  the  world,  that  His  word  only  refers 
to  our  duty  to  Him,  not  to  our  fellow-creatures.    Surely 


THE   SPIEIT   OF  JUDAISM.  93 

those  who  thus  believe*  can  either  never  have  studied, 
or  have  never  implored  the  divine  blessing  on  the  study 
of  the  Book  of  Life.  "  For  this  commandment  -which  I 
command  thee  is  not  hidden  from  thee,  nor  is  it  far  off. 
It  is  not  in  heaven,  that  thou  shouldst  say,  AVho  shall  go 
up  for  us  to  heaven  and  bring  it  unto  us,  that  we  may 
hear  it,  and  do  it  ?  Neither  is  it  beyond  sea,  that  thou 
shouldst  say.  Who  shall  go  over  the  sea  for  us,  and  bring 
it  unto  us,  that  we  may  hear  it,  and  do  it  ?  But  the 
word  is  very  nigh  unto  thee,  in  thy  mouth,  and  in  thy 
heart,  that  thou  may  est  do  it." 

And  is  it  not  still  as  near  us?  is  it  not  in  our  power 
still  to  do  it  ?  Yet  so  sad  is  the  natural  corruption  of  the 
human  heart,  that  perhaps  were  it  more  difficult  to  be 
attained,  were  there  some  great  thing  we  were  desired  to 
do  in  devotion  to  the  Lord,  we  should  be  eager  and  ready 
to  prove  our  obedience;  whereas  the  simple  command  to 
associate  His  love,  His  glory  in  all  we  do,  to  make  reli- 
gion the  mainspring  of  life,  is  looked  upon  as  the  mere 
dream  of  a  visionary,t  who  would  turn  and  twist  the 
words  of  Scripture  to  the  furtherance  and  support  of 
his  own  ima2:inin2;3. 

How  then  (surely  the  question  is  allowable),  would 


*  I  trust  that  the  number  of  Israelites  who  understand  their  re- 
ligion so  erroneously  is  small  indeed ;  that  there  are  some  is  no  doubt 
true ;  but  there  are  many  more,  equally  erring  and  sinful,  who  fancy 
that  charity,  benevolence,  and  mere  morality  are  sufficient  for  them. 
Both  these  classes  are  only  halfway  religious ;  our  duty  is  only  ful- 
filled when  piety  and  philanthropy  are  intimately  united  in  us. — I.  L. 

t  As  an  illastration  of  the  truth  of  this  assertion,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  exercise  of  faith  demanded  by  Elisha,  the  prophet,  of 
the  leper  Naaman  (2  Kings  v.  1-15),  where  the  servants  of  the  latter 
said  to  him :  "  My  father,  if  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some  great 
thing,  wouldst  thou  not  have  done  it,  how  much  rather  then  when  he 
eaith  unto  thee,  Wash  and  be  clean?" — I.  L. 


94  THE   SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM. 

these  strict  moralists  explain  the  meaning  and  extent  of 
the  command  which  has  detained  us  so  long  ?  Can  they 
bring  forth  sufficient  evidence  from  the  Book  of  Life  to 
prove  that  Moses  meant  less  to  be  included  in  his  words 
than  we  allow?  Would  not  his  minute  command  for  the 
right  regulation  and  religious  government  of  individual, 
social,  and  domestic  life,  rather  embrace  our  side  of  the 
question,  and  give  some  shadow  of  truth  to  the  sugges- 
tion, that  in  his  book  of  repetition,*  being  unable  again 
to  enter  into  the  minutiae  already  so  emphatically  en- 
forced, he  threw  them  together  in  this  brief  sentence, 
fully  conscious  that  were  that  solemn  injunction  to  love 
the  Lord  obeyed  to  its  full  extent,  all  would  be  therein 
comprised? 

But  it  may  be  urged.  Did  we  so  govern  ourselves,  so 
control  our  affections,  we  should  be  perfect  beings,  and 
that  it  is  impossible  to  be  on  earth.  Yet  on  this  are  we 
to  found  an  exemption  or  reprieve,  for  seeking  after 
righteousness?  Are  we  to  sit  down  calmly  and  content- 
edly in  the  natural  corruption  of  our  hearts,  because  we 
cannot  hope  to  realize  perfection  ? 

It  is  this  tacit  agreement  with  unrighteousness,  this 
unconsciousness  and  carelessness  of  what  God's  law  im- 
peratively includes,  which  renders  us  so  satisfied  with 
ourselves,  so  startled  when  we  hear  or  read,  that  our  best 
actions  need  God's  infinite  mercy  to  purify  and  render 
them  acceptable.  It  is  this  which  makes  us  vehemently 
protest  against  having  committed  sin,  or  having  done 
anything  that  can  be  displeasing  unto  our  Father  in 
heaven.  It  is  enough  to  do  all  we  can,  and  He  will  not 
expect  more. 

They  are  right,  He  will  not  expect  more  if  we  do  all 

'* 

■  *  Deuteronomy. 


i 

I 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  95 

we  can;  but  it  is  not  enough  to  do  all  we  can  for  the 
furtherance  of  our  own  interests:  not  enough  to  refrain 
from  injuring  man,  to  adhere  strictly  to  moral  duty;  for 
will  these  acts  acquit  us  in  His  sight  for  forgetting  Him  ? 
for  not  thinking  of  His  command  to  love  and  serve  Him? 
to  do  all  things  for  the  sake  of  remembering  and  glorify- 
ing Him?  Oh!  if  these  things  were  sought;  if  we  pon- 
dered sufficiently  on  ourselves,  and  on  our  Maker,  or  the 
love  He  bears  us,  and  the  little  return  we  make — on  the 
continued  wanderings  of  our  heart  in  prayer,  in  medita- 
tion on  all  holy  things — how  we  shrink  back  from  His 
service,  and  give  Him  not  the  love  of  children  but  the 
fear  of  slaves,  forgetting  that  He  demandeth  love  and 
not  servile  obedience :  we  should  feel  at  once  our  own 
sinful  nature  and  our  Father's  inexhaustible  goodness ; 
we  should  be  more  ready  to  hear,  more  willing  to  receive 
all  that  would  aid  us  in  seeking  after  righteousness,  and 
render  easier  the  commands  of  the  Lord,  and  the  com- 
prehension of  His  word. 

There  are  those  who,  trusting  entirely  in  their  own 
strength,  and  judging  others  from  their  own  feelings, 
laugh  to  scorn,  as  unnatural  or  hypocritical,  any  exalted 
feeling,  extraordinary  goodness,  or  perfect  disinterested- 
ness. They  know  not  the  strength  that  lowly  religion 
gives ;  they  would  deem  it  but  an  overstrained  saintly 
notion  which  urged  that  those,  who  seek  their  God  and 
love  Him  in  prosperity,  are  sometimes  endowed  under 
extreme  adversity  with  a  strength  which  may  and  will 
appear  unnatural  to  those  who  know  not,  believe  not, 
that  God  cares  for  each  and  all. 

Those  who  are  in  reality  nearest  perfection,  are  far- 
thest from  it  in  their  own  minds;  the  more  advance  they 
make  in  goodness,  the  more  clearly  shines  forth  the  per- 
fect  holiness  of  God  in   their  own   blemishes.     They 


96  THE  SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM. 

judge  not  of  themselves  by  their  fellow- creatures,  they 
Beek  not  to  compare  their  faults  or  virtues  with  those  of 
men ;  but  they  look  at  their  deeds  through  the  light  of 
their  God;  they  regard  their  acts  and  omissions  as  they 
are  in  His  sight,  and  trust  not  to  them  for  salvation. 
But  to  those  who  know  Him  not,  who  think  not  of  Him, 
but  as  One  far  off,  who  knows  not,  heeds  not,  the  daily 
thoughts  of  individuals,  it  is  enough  to  compare  them- 
selves with  other  men,  and  if  they  covet  not,  rob  not, 
injure  not — if  they  are  widely  different  from  those  un- 
happy beings  under  the  punishment  of  the  laws,  why, 
that  is  all-sufficient,  they  are  free  from  all  thought  of 
sin. 

But  if  those  nearest  perfection  in  the  opinion  of  their 
fellow-men,  are  farthest  from  it  in  their  own :  what  good 
either  to  themselves  or  others  can  accrue  from  it?  What 
good?  Let  the  true  believer  himself  reply,  and  he  would 
tell  us,  the  blessing  vouchsafed  him  can  only  be  felt,  it 
is  too  deep,  too  heart-springing  for  words.  The  humble 
endeavour,  the  fervent  prayer,  to  follow  in  the  path  of 
light,  have  been  mercifully  blessed  to  him,  it  has  been 
no  power  of  his  own;  and  he  has  found  comfort  in  the 
conviction,  that  his  prayers  and  efforts,  however  lowly, 
are  acceptable.  He  hath  but  sown  the  goodly  seed  in 
the  firm  faith  of  reaping  the  fruit  above;  and  he  would 
tell  us  also,  that  the  seed  cannot  be  sown,  nor  can  the 
plant  flourish,  without  toil  and  perseverance.  Disap- 
pointment and  trial  will  attend  its  growth;  w^e  shall  feel 
at  times  as  if  its  budding  blossoms  were  all  destroyed, 
blighted,  never  to  bloom  again ;  but  perseverance  and 
prayer  will  tend  and  nourish  it  to  health  again;  and  on 
the  bed  of  death  its  clustering  flowers  will  encompass  us 
with  their  sweet  fragrance,  and  give  fair  promise  of  the 
fruit  which  waits  for  us  on  high.     And  then,  is  it  not 


THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  97 

worth  while  to  toil  on  despite  of  pain,  and  persevere  re- 
gardless of  disappointment? 

It  is  never  too  late  to  tread  the  path  of  salvation ;  but 
the  earlier  its  commencement,  the  smoother  is  its  road. 
It  is  the  blessed  union  of  piety  and  morality  which  the 
law  of  Moses  teaches,  which  alone  can  enable  the  true 
believer  to  glorify  the  name  of  his  God,  by  exalting  his 
religion  in  the  estimation  of  the  world,  and  proving  that 
the  Hebrew  faith  is  as  full  of  hope  and  peace,  and  com- 
fort of  salvation,  and  of  spiritual  joy,  as  is  the  Christian. 

The  notion  that  the  third  verse  of  the  Shemang,  *'  And 
these  words  which  I  command  thee  this  day  shall  be  in 
thy  heart,"  refers  also  to  the  preceding  chapter,  is  also 
liable  to  the  censure  of  the  rigid  moralist,  who  looks  no 
farther  than  the  actual  words  of  the  prayer  book,  and 
condemns  all  enlarged  and  spiritualizing  views  of  reli- 
gion. Yet  it  appears  almost  impossible  to  read  the  sixth 
chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  without  observing  how  com- 
pletely connected  it  is  with  the  fifth,  knowing  also  that, 
as  Moses  originally  wrote,  there  was  no  division  of  chapter 
or  verse.*  In  the  fifth,  our  great  lawgiver  enlarges  on 
the  covenant  which  our  God  made  with  us  on  Horeb, 
repeating  the  ten  commandments,  as  he  there  received 
them,  emphatically  concluding  with  the  words:  ''And 
these  words  the  Lord  spoke  unto  all  your  assembly,  in 
the  mount,  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire,  of  the  cloud, 
and  of  the  thick  darkness,  with  a  great  voice,  and  HE 
ADDED  NO  MORE."     Then  he  describes  the  fear  of  the 


*  This  is  true  to  a  certain  extent:  the  modern  division  of  chapters 
is  not  discoverable  in  the  original  Hebrew  text;  nevertheless,  the  divi- 
sion in  sections  is  undoubtedl)'-  the  work  of  Moses  as  miich  as  the  writ- 
ing of  the  Pentateuch  itself  proceeds  from  him ;  and  the  Shemang  forma 
incontestably  a  section  by  itself,  whatever  reference  it  may  have  to 
what  precedes  or  follows. — I.  L. 

9 


$8  THE   SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM. 

people,  tlie  great  awe  that  fell  upon  them,  and  that  which 
they  said;  their  acceptance  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord; 
His  yearning  affection  towards  them,  and  His  choosing 
Moses  to  receive  His  law,  lest  the  sight  of  His  glory 
should  terrify  the  people.  Thus  we  perceive  the  fifth 
chapter  is  a  lengthened  detail  of  ''words,"  which  the 
sixth  in  a  few  brief  eloquent  verses  exhorts  us  to  obey. 
The  one  is  in  strict  connection  with  the  other;  and  thus 
in  all  probability  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  thought,  when 
they  compiled  for  their  captive  brethren  the  prayers, 
which  were  to  supply  the  place  of  the  daily  burnt  offer- 
ings, which  in  Babylon*  they  were  unable  to  sacrifice. 

The  first  compilation  of  prayers  originated  in  the  Ba- 
bylonish captivity.  The  sacrifices  had  ceased,  the  Jew- 
ish nationality  was  becoming  lost  in  the  sinful  intermix-, 
ture  of  the  Hebrew  with  the  heathen ;  and  their  children, 
according  to  Nehemiah,  spoke  neither  in  the  language 
of  Ashdod  nor  of  Jerusalem.  Ezra  beheld  and  trembled 
lest  the  knowledge  of  the  sacred  language  should  become 
at  length  so  completely  lost,  that  they  would  be  unable  to 
address  their  God  therein.  He  saw  that  a  regular  form 
of  prayer  was  becoming  more  necessary  than  it  had  ever 
been  before;  and,  instituting  an  academy,  known  by  the 
name  of  the  Great  Assembly,  and  honoured  by  the  names 
of  Daniel,  Haggai,  Zechariah,  and  Malachi,  he  compiled, 


*  There  is  a  slight  inaccuracy  in  the  above;  no  doubt  exists  that 
the  chief  parts  of  our  prayers  owe  their  present  general  arrangement  to 
Ezra  and  the  great  Synod ;  yet  they  were  not  alone  for  those  who  re- 
mained behind,  but  for  the  inhabitants  of  Palestine  also,  who  could 
participate  in  the  temple  service.  Farther,  though  we  have  no  direct 
account  of  its  being  so  other  than  the  example  of  Daniel,  who  prayed 
three  times  every  day,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  a  form  of 
prayer  comprising  benedictions,  the  Shemang,  and  petitions  like  the 
Amidah,  were  in  use  before  the  Babylonian  captivity. — I.  L. 


THE    SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM.  99 

with  their  assistance,  the  prayers  we  now  repeat.  They 
formed  morning,  afternoon,  and  evening  service,  to  be 
repeated  in  lieu  of  the  daily  sacrifices  which  they  were 
then  prevented  from  offering  as  in  Jerusalem.* 

It  is  therefore  evident,  those  portions  of  the  Bible  were 
selected  which  were  best  adapted  to  supply  those  cere- 
monies now  denied  them.  To  repeat  the  whole  law  of 
Moses  every  day  was  impossible;  and  yet,  scattered  as 
they  were  amidst  idolatrous  nations,  it  was  more  than 
likely  it  would  at  length  be  completely  forgotten.  The 
only  remedy  was  to  bring  together  those  portions  which 
would  briefly,  yet  solemnly,  remind  them  of  their  duty 
to  their  God  and  to  each  other;  Ezra  perceiving  by  the 
context  that  such  was  the  intention  of  Moses. 

Such  was  the  origin  of  the  Shemang:  it  is  the  only 
part  of  our  prayerst  which  neither  addresses  the  Eternal, 
nor  relates  to  His  glorious  attributes.  Each  division 
speaks  directly  to  the  people :  enforcing  commands  brief 
indeed,  but  yet  which,  if  obeyed,  would  comprise  obedi- 
ence to  the  whole  law  of  Moses. 

Dn^l  translated  words,  we  find  by  a  reference  to 
every  verse  where  it  is  used,  always  relates  to  command- 
ments or  statutes ;    and  therefore  to  regard  it  in  the 


*  See  the  preface  to  the  Rev.  D.  A.  De  Sola's  elegant  edition  of  our 
prayers,  the  translation  and  type  of  which  are  worthy  their  exalted 
subject. 

f  Without  endeavouring  to  gainsay  any  part  of  what  is  advanced 
above,  I  will  merely  remark  that,  according  to  the  views  generally  pre- 
vailing among  us,  the  Shemang  is  looked  upon  as  the  daily  acknowledg- 
ment and  acceptance  of  the  yoke  of  the  heavenly  kingdom :  by  it  we  are 
Jto  be  reminded  to  whom,  and  why  we  pray ;  it  is  to  impress  us  at  rising 
up  and  lying  down  with  the  conviction  that  we  are  the  children  of  a 
beneficent  and  all-powerful  God,  to  whose  service  we  ought  to  devote 
the  life  He  has  given,  the  soul  He  has  breathed  in  us,  and  the  blessings 
which  He  bestows. — I.  L. 


100  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

third  verse  of  the  Shemang,  as  referring  to  the  com- 
mandments preceding  it,  not  alone  in  the  sixth,  but  in  the 
fifth  chapter,  cannot  surely  be  charged  with  either  spi- 
ritualising or  mystifying  the  sense  in  which  Moses  used 
them.  We  cannot  be  wandering  very  far,  if  in  making 
them  bear  upon  the  ten  commandments,  as  a  charge  to 
let  them  be  upon  our  hearts,  we  endeavour  to  discover 
what  individual,  religious,  or  social  duties  the  decalogue 
includes. 

The  duties  of  the  first  and  second  have  been  already 
detailed,  in  the  chapters  relating  to  the  first  and  second 
verses  of  the  ]))yZ'.  In  proclaiming  and  believing  in 
the  unity  of  God,  in  seeking  to  know  the  various  duties 
that  belief  includes,  we  prove  our  obedience  to  that  first 
commandment,  which  so  solemnly  declares,  I  am  the 
Lord  thy  God,  &c.  We  cannot  love  wath  all  our  heart, 
and  soul,  and  might,  if  we  make  unto  ourselves  any 
graven  image,  or  believe  in  any  other  god;  consequently, 
obedience  to  the  second  verse  of  the  Shemang  comprises 
obedience  to  the  second  commandment.  And  the  third — 
do  we  amongst  refined  and  polished  society — amongst  the 
moral  and  honourable  world — do  we  disobey  this  third 
commandment?  Surely  that  too  maybe  dismissed  unno- 
ticed!— Yet  we  disobey  it  when  carelessly  and  irreve- 
rently we  use  the  sacred  name  of  God;  when,  wdth  pro- 
fane and  heedless  lips,  we  attach  that  inefflible  name  as 
a  common  interjection  to  our  most  unguarded  conversa- 
tion, as  an  interjection  attached  to  every  sudden  emotion, 
be  it  of  surprise  or  grief,  or  more  sinful  still,  of  anger; 
often,  too  often  is  it  used,  when  passion  takes  ofi"  the 
guard  of  courtesy  from  our  lips,  w^hen  our  hearts  swell 
with  every  feeling  that  is  inimical  to  the  reverence  due 
to  the  pronunciation  of  that  name.  We  disobey  it,  when 
thoughts  the  most  incongruous,  and  vain,  mingle  with 


THE  SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  101 

our  prayers,  and  we  resist  tliem  not ;  for  our  lips  mutter 
that  sacred  name,  we  call  upon  it,  proclaim  our  trust  in 
it,  yet  know  not  what  we  say.  Is  not  this  taking  the 
name  of  God  in  vain,  and  are  we  not  only  too  often 
liable  thus  to  do — perhaps  unconsciously,  thoughtlessly, 
scarcely  aware  of  the  solemnity  of  the  word  we  speak  ? 
Yet  the  same  great  Being  who  in  thunder  spoke,  "Thou 
shalt  not  kill,  and  thou  shalt  not  steal,"  also  said,  "Thou 
shalt  not  take  my  name  in  vain,"  and  the  disobedience 
of  the  one  is  in  His  sight  as  great  as  the  disobedience 
of  the  other. 

He  did  more  to  mark  its  holiness — He  knew  that  a 
breach  of  the  sixth,  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  com- 
mandments, exposed  the  malefactor  to  the  severity  of 
human  law,  but  the  third  might  be  disobeyed  with  im- 
punity, at  least  with  regard  to  man  it  exposed  not  the 
transgressor  to  corporeal  punishment ;  and  therefore,  He 
says,  "For  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  who 
taketh  His  name  in  vain."  The  Lord  will  not  hold  him 
guiltless;  and  shall  we  think  less  of  the  Lord's  anger, 
the  Lord's  chastisement,  than  that  of  man,  because  it  is 
deferred,  because  prosperity  and  joy  attend  us — and  days, 
and  weeks,  and  years  pass  on,  and  the  taking  that  name 
in  vain  is  apparently  as  totally  disregarded  by  our  Father 
in  heaven,  as  it  is  by  man  ?  Shall  we  still  continue  to 
disobey,  and  believe  that  the  words  "the  Lord  will  not 
hold  him  guiltless"  mean  nothing,  can  concern  us  but 
little,  and  only  threaten  vengeance  upon  those  poor  crea-  . 
tures  who  swear  falsely? 

If  it  only  related  to  this  last  means  of  disobeying, 
there  would  have  been  no  need  to  specify  so  clearly  that 
it  would  expose  us  to  the  anger  of  the  Lord;  for  the  man 
that  swears  falsely  is  guilty  in  the  sight  of  his  fellows, 
even  as  he  that  kills  or  steals,  and  if  guilty  in  the  sight 


102  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

of  man  is  trebly  so  in  the  sight  of  God;  but  man  attaches 
no  sin  to  the  profane  use  of  that  name  if  confined  to  pri- 
vate individuals,  and  therefore  it  is  our  Father  Himself 
threatens  vengeance.  The  refusing  to  revere,  and  love, 
and  honour  that  glorious  name  rests  between  man  and 
his  Maker,  and  unhappy  is  he  who  believes  there  is  no 
sm  attached  to  using  it  thus  in  vain,  because  chastise- 
ment is  deferred,  and  this  life  is  free  from  retribution. 

It  is  easy  to  avoid  this  disobedience,  particularly  in 
the  rising  generation.  Let  the  infant  mind  be  impressed 
with  the  solemn  nature  of  religion,  with  true  and  cling- 
ing love  to  his  God,  who  is  alike  Father,  Saviour,  and 
Friend.  Let  Him  be  taught  to  read  Him  in  His  works, 
to  gaze  with  awe  and  reverence  on  the  fair  things  around 
him;  to  fill  the  young  heart  with  ideas  of  those  glorious 
attributes  which  belong  to  his  Father  in  heaven ;  and 
we  need  not  fear  the  third  commandment  will  be  dis- 
obeyed. He  will  love  and  reverence  too  deeply  for  that 
awful  name  to  be  profaned.  That  name  will  bring  with 
it  too  many  deep  emotions,  too  much  intense  devotion, 
to  be  uttered  even  carelessly ;  and  he  would  shrink  from 
using  it  as  an  interjection,  even  as  he  would  from  more 
palpable  disobedience.  That  which  is  held  dearest  can 
never  be  mentioned  lightly,  and  therefore  it  is  that  vital 
religion  is  somewhat  doubtful  in  those  on  whose  lips  that 
ineffable  name  so  often  rests.  They  can  scarcely  love 
Him  with  all  their  heart,  and  soul,  and  might,  if  thus 
irreverently  or  thoughtlessly  they  forget  the  last  member 
of  the  third  commandment,  and  take  His  holy  name  in 
vain. 

The  fourth  commandment  is  indeed  a  solemn  injunc- 
tion: it  is  to  keep  that  day  holy  which  is  a  covenant 
between  our  heavenly  Father  and  His  first-born,  the 
children  of  Israel,  for  ever;   a  day  set  apart,  a  day 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  .-^■--  103 


sanctified  not  alone  by  words,  but  by  miracles,  a  day 
peculiarly  ours,  coeval  with  creation,  continuing  through 
ages,   ending  in  eternity;  for  such  is  the  signification 

of   the  word    D /Ip    which,  in  the  emphatic  sentence, 

*'And  the  children  of  Israel  shall  keep  the  Sabbath,  ob- 
serving the  Sabbath  throughout  their  generations  asape?'- 
fetual  covenant;  it  is  a  sign  between  me  and  the  children 
of  Israel  for  ever,"  is  translated  perpetual,  and  for  ever. 
Intrusted  as  it  is  to  us,  since  we  alone  amidst  all  nations 
and  all  religions  adhere  to  this  solemn  covenant,  thus 
standing  forth  indeed  as  the  Lord's  witnesses,  as  still  the 
guardians  and  followers  of  the  most  holy  law,  a  law  im- 
mutable as  Himself:  it  should  be  our  pride,  and  boast, 
and  joy,  indeed  to  keep  that  day  holy,  indeed  to  devote  it 
principally  to  Him  who  gave  it,  and  sanctify  its  rest 
and  joy  by  teaching  that  all  should  tend  to  and  end  in 
Him. 

It  was  not  the  fourth  commandment  that  first  in- 
structed us  in  the  deep  holiness  of  the  seventh  day.  We 
find  the  first  reference  to  it  is  after  the  six  days  of  crea- 
tion. ''And  on  the  seventh  day  God  ended  His  work 
which  He  had  made;  and  God  blessed  the  seventh  day 
and  sanctified  it,  because  that  in  it  He  had  rested  from 
all  His  work."  Here  we  perceive  its  origin.  God  did 
not  rest  because  He  needed  rest ;  but  He  knew  the  crea- 
tures He  had  formed  would  require  it;  that  it  would  be 
to  them  a  blessing  and  a  joy,  and  therefore  He  set  apart 
that  day,  in  which  He  rejoiced  in  the  completion  of  His 
great  work,  and  rested  to  behold  it.  We  do  not  hear 
of  it  again  till  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  Exodus;  but  that 
it  must  have  been  always  observed  and  remembered  and 
kept  holy  by  all  the  children  of  Abraham,  is  very  evi- 
dent from  the  circumstances  which  tliis  sixteenth  chapter 
relates. 


104  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

The  cruel  bondage  in  Egypt  had  in  all  probability  ob- 
literated the  remembrance  of  this  solemn  day.  It  was 
not  possible  that,  suffering  as  they  were  in  the  land  of 
Mitzraim,  they  could  in  any  way  adhere  to  it.  Yet  so 
great  was  its  sanctity,  so  blessed  was  that  day  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord,  He  waited  not  to  issue  His  command- 
ment concerning  it,  but  at  once  marked  it  as  a  day  set 
apart  by  a  miracle  which  proved  alike  His  power  and 
His  love.  The  manna,  that  angels'  food,  which  was  sent 
down  direct  from  heaven  to  nourish  and  revive  His 
people,  which  if  preserved  on  the  weekdays  became 
putrid  and  unclean,  as  if  thus  to  chide  the  misbelieving 
race  for  doubting  God's  providence  for  the  morrow,  yet 
not  only  fell  in  double  quantities  on  the  Friday,  but  re- 
mained perfectly  clean  and  wholesome  on  the  Sabbath, 
for  on  that  holy  day  there  fell  none.  It  was  the  Lord's 
Sabbath,  He,  the  glorious,  omniscient,  omnipotent,  and 
eternal  God — He  rested  on  that  day — and  commanded 
His  people  to  rest  also;  He  sent  sufficient  provision  for 
the  two  days,  and  they  were  to  gather  it,  and  bake,  and 
seethe  it  on  the  sixth  day,  that  on  the  seventh  there 
should  be  no  need  to  kindle  a  fire  or  to  do  servile  work 
in  their  dwellings.  They  were  to  rest  and  to  rejoice; 
not  in  the  pleasures  of  this  earth,  not  in  the  indulgence 
of  sense  and  appetite ;  but  to  rest  and  rejoice  in  the  con- 
templation of  their  Father  and  their  God,  and  set  apart 
that  one  day  in  seven  to  forget  the  toils  and  labour, 
sorrows  or  cares  of  the  past  week,  to  rise  up  from  the 
chains  in  which  sensual  pleasures  may  have  held  them, 
and  rejoice  on  that  day  in  remembering  the  Lord  and 
seeking  to  realise  those  spiritual  joys  and  blessings 
which  await  the  true  believer  in  the  world  beyond  the 
tomb. 

Already  sanctified  by  a  miracle,  yet  the  Sabbath  of 


1 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  105 

the  Lord  must  be  still  more  emphatically  set  apart ;  and 
in  the  midst  of  thunder  and  lightnings,  when  the  earth 
quaked,  and  the  clarion  from  heaven  sounded  long,  and 
waxed  louder  and  louder,  the  same  awful  Voice  that  for- 
bade idolatry,  and  murder,  and  adultery,  and  theft,  also 
said,  "  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy." 
From  the  master  to  his  slave,  even  to  the  stranger, 
whatever  might  be  his  faith,  to  the  ox  and  ass,  all  were 
to  rest,  all  were  to  hallow  and  to  bless  that  dav. 

Four  times,  in  addition  to  the  two  already  mentioned, 
do  we  find  the  Sabbath  day  emphatically  enjoined,  not 
only  in  connection  with  others,  but  spoken  of  and  en- 
forced alone.  What  can  be  more  emphatic  than  the  12th, 
13th,  14th,  loth,  16th,  and  19th  verses  of  the  xxxi.  chapter 
of  Exodus,  where  we  also  see  what  is  omitted  in  the  com- 
mandment, namely,  the  awful  chastisement  which  awaits 
the  breaker  of  the  Sabbath  ?  '''  Everv  one  that  defileth 
it  shall  surely  be  put  to  death ;  whosoever  doeth  any 
work  therein,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  oflf  from  among  his 
people;"  and  thus  not  only  temporal  but  eternal  death 
is  threatened,  that,  if  the  cords  of  love  are  not  sufficiently 
strong:  to  bind  us  in  holiness  unto  this  solemn  day,  the 
chains  of  fear  shall  urece  us  to  obedience.  And  not  only 
do  we  read  the  threat  of  punishment,  but  its  fulfilment, 
in  the  death  of  the  Israelite  found  e^atherins:  sticks  on 
the  Sabbath  day.  It  was  not  so  much  the  act — it  was 
the  sin  of  disobedience  ;  and  therefore  those  little  things 
some  are  apt  to  imagine  can  be  no  harm,  can  be  no  dese- 
cration of  the  Sabbath,  are  sinful  in  the  sight  of  God, 
for  they  are  disobedience  or  unbelief  in  the  truth  and 
sanctity  of  His  word. 

And  again  was  the  holiness  of  the  Sabbath  day  pro- 
claimed, when  the  Lord  passed  before  Moses  and  revealed 
His  glory  and  His  attributes.    In  that  awful  hour,  when 


106  THE   SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM. 

the  Eternal  stood  in  a  cloud,  in  communion  with  His 
faithful  servant,  when  the  reflection  of  His  radiance, 
thickly  veiled  as  it  was,  fell  upon  Moses  till  his  face  so 
shone  no  man  could  look  upon  it:  even  then  was  the 
holiness  of  the  Sabbath  enforced.  And  Leviticus,  Num- 
bers, Deuteronomy,  we  find  repeating  and  enjoining  it 
again  and  yet  again.  With  the  sole  exception  of  the 
commandment  prohibiting  idolatry,  we  find  the  fourth 
repeated  and  enforced  more  often  than  any  other  which 
the  decalogue  contains.  If  the  Sabbath  be  disregarded, 
the  feasts  and  fasts  our  holy  law  enjoins  must  also  fall; 
for  they  are  described  and  given  as  days  of  holy  convo- 
cations, as  Sabbaths  of  rest  and  rejoicing  in  all  our 
dwellings;  and  if  we  refuse  to  keep  the  Sabbath,  the 
first  and  holiest  of  all,  how  may  we  hope  adherence  to 
the  other  festivals  can  be  accepted  ? 

In  Nehemiah  we  find  the  desecration  of  the  Sabbath 
severely  and  justly  censured  as  one  of  the  most  fearful 
efi"ects  of  the  captivity;  and  the  vow  to  sanctify  it  by 
refusing  to  buy  and  sell  or  do  any  business  on  that  day, 
"was  one  of  the  very  first  proofs  of  repentance  which  the 
elders  of  the  people  demanded.  In  Isaiah,  Jeremiah, 
Ezekiel,  the  three  greatest  and  most  important  prophets, 
we  not  only  find  how  the  anger  of  the  Lord  had  been 
excited  by  the  disobedience  of  the  fourth  commandment, 
but  to  lead  us  once  again  to  Him,  to  turn  us  from  our 
iniquities,  His  never- failing  mercy,  His  unutterable  love, 
held  forth  gracious  promises  of  salvation,  of  blessings  as 
unnumbered  as  undeserved,  if  we  would  but  'Hurn  from 
doing  our  own  pleasure  on  His  holy  day,  and  call  the 
Sabbath  a  delight,  the  holy  of  the  Lord  honourable,  and 
shall  honour  Him,  not  by  doing  our  own  ways,  finding 
our  own  pleasure,  speaking  our  own  words,"  and  glorify 
Him  by  hallowing  His  Sabbath. 


THE  SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  107 

How  mucli  then  does  the  Sabbath  include  1  Not  only 
is  it  an  everlasting  covenant  between  Israel  and  their 
God, — not  only  is  it  a  witness  to  other  nations  of  the 
truth  and  beauty  of  the  word  of  God ;  but  on  our  ob- 
servance of  it  as  that  word  of  God  commands,  on  our 
remembering  it  in  very  truth  to  bless  and  keep  it  holy, 
depends  in  a  measure  the  redemption  of  our  scattered 
and  sorrowing  race,  at  the  coming  of  that  blessed  shep- 
herd who,  inspired  and  summoned  by  the  Lord,  "  shall 
gather  the  lambs  with  His  arms,  and  carry  them  in 
His  bosom,  and  shall  gently  lead  those  that  are  with 
young." 

And  when  we  think  on  this ;  when  we  see  how  much 
depends  upon  our  own  efforts,  our  own  prayers ;  when 
serious  contemplation,  aided  and  quickened  by  the  spirit 
of  the  Lord,  has  enabled  us  to  realise  the  deep  solemnity, 
the  awful  sanctity  of  this  glorious  day :  shall  we  think 
it  enough  merely  to  abstain  from  doing  what  we  have 
been  taught  is  wrong?  enough  merely  to  read  our  morn- 
ing prayers  and  weekly  portions,  and  with  the  books  put 
aside  all  thoughts  of  our  Father  and  His  works?  enough 
to  tell  our  children  they  must  not  work,  nor  write,  nor 
cut,  nor  ride,  and  yet  leave  them  to  amuse  themselves 
as  they  like  best,  without  one  thought  of  Him  whose  day 
it  is  ?  enough  to  contrive  to  attend  some  Friday  night 
assembly,  without  riding  or  being  driven  there  ?  Shall 
we  think  it  enough  to  pass  the  Sabbath  hours  at  a  race, 
or  public  breakfast,  or  afternoon  concert,  if  we  can  con- 
trive to  do  so  without  using  our  cattle  ?  enough  to  pass 
the  day  in  doing  our  own  pleasure?  Oh  surely  not! 
surely,  if  meditation  and  prayer  have  done  their  work, 
we  shall  feel  these  things  are  not  enough  to  remember 
the  Sabbath  day  and  keep  it  holy.  And  yet  it  need  not 
be  a  day  of  gloom*     True  religion,  the  faith  of  Moses 


y 


108  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

and  David,  knows  not  sadness — the  Sabbatli  may  be  a 
day  of  rejoicing,  and  yet  holy  unto  the  Lo?^d.  If  we 
have  little  time  during  the  six  days  of  labour,  then  is  it 
well  for  us  to  think  of  Him,  to  realise  His  presence  and 
His  love,  to  talk  of  Him  to  our  children,  to  exalt  Him 
in  His  works.  His  attributes,  His  word,  to  speak  of  Him 
in  our  homes,  till  our  domestic  hearths  become  His 
temple;  to  recall  His  providence.  His  blessings  of  the 
days  just  past  (for  is  there  one  day  in  which  He  cares 
not  for  us?)  to  look  within  ourselves  and  deplore  that 
which  we  have  left  undone,  and  praise  Him  for  all  that 
we  have  done;  to  read  books  which  will  lead  our 
thoughts  to  rest  on  Him — not  sermons  alone,  whose 
very  name  sometimes  terrifies  the  young,  but  tales,  that, 
through  the  pleasant  medium  of  well- selected  fiction, 
would  lead  the  youthful  spirit  to  contemplate  His  God, 
and  adore  His  never-ceasing  love,  and  trace  His  provi- 
dence in  the  events  he  reads — for  what  are  tales  of 
domestic  life  but  relations  "of  the  thing  that  hath  been, 
or  that  which  shall  be"?  to  assemble  around  us  all  the 
beloved  members  of  our  domestic  circle,  whom  the  week- 
days may  have  seen  toiling  on  their  separate  ways, — and 
feel  that  various  as  may  be  the  dispositions,  the  tempers, 
sympathies,  virtues,  and  faults,  there  is  yet  one  golden 
link  that  binds  them  together,  one  faith,  one  God,  one 
universal  love  for  Him  and  acknowledgment  of  His  un- 
ceasing care.  We  all  know  these  things  cannot  be  on 
the  days  of  labour,  not  at  least  to  the  extent  for  which 
the  awakened  spirit  yearns.  How  blessed  then  the  Sab- 
bath day  which  is  thus  employed!  Begun  and  con- 
cluded in  prayer,  evening,  morning,  and  evening  again ; 
every  beloved  member  of  each  household  hearth,  from 
the  aged  man  to  the  lisping  infant,  meeting  in  solemn 
prayer,  in   addressing   Him,  or   communing  with  His 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  109 

word ;  and  the  intervening  hours  employed  in  all  that 
would  enable  us  to  realise  His  presence  and  His  love — 
this  is  remembering  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy; 
this  will  be  regarding  it  as  it  was  intended,  a  type, 
though  a  faint  one,  of  that  rejoicing  rest*  and  those  un- 
fading pleasures  which  are  at  the  right  hand  of  God  for 
ever  more. 

Beautiful,  most  beautiful  is  the  injunction  contained  in 
the  fifth  commandment,  touching  even  in  its  brevity, 
heart-speaking  in  its  simple  eloquence,  proving  simply, 
yet  forcibly,  that  nature  by  herself  was  not  sufficient  for 
the  young  to  honour  their  parents;  for  had  it  been,  this 
command  would  have  been  omitted. f  Why  is  it  that  the 
decalogue  speaks  not,  commands  not,  aught  relative  to 
the  duties  of  parents  to  their  children?  Because  there 
the  yearnings  of  nature  are  sufficient,  there  natural  affec- 
tion is  enough;  for  so  deep,  so  intense,  exhaustless,  is  a 
mother's  love,  that  its  figure  is  frequently  used  to  de- 
monstrate the  love  borne  to  us  by  our  Father  in  heaven; 
His  love  alone  exceeds  it.  "Can  a  mother  forget  her 
sucking  child,  that  she  should  not  have  compassion  on 

*  So  also  says  the  prayer:  "  May  He  who  is  most  merciful,  cause  us 
to  inherit  the  world  which  is  entirely  good,  and  the  rest  in  the  life 
everlasting."  Indeed,  according  to  the  opinions  of  our  doctors,  the 
Sabbath  is  an  emblem  of  the  repose  and  felicity  of  the  righteous  in 
paradise ;  and  its  noiseless  observance  has  been  borrowed  by  the  Naza- 
renes  for  their  weekly  rest. — I.  L. 

f  Without  dissenting  entirely  from  this  view  (and  as  editor  I  am 

not  called  upon  to  state  in  every  passage  whether  I  agree  with  the 

author  or  not),  I  will  merely  remark  that,  even  granting  that  nature 

alone  demanded  in  its  full  extent  obedience  to  the  paternal  will,  the 

sanction  of  the  will  of  God  would  not  be  superfluous ;  since  His  sanction 

would  add  holiness  to  the  eiTect  of  natural  feelings,  and  thus  He  would 

bless  us  for  obedience,  provided  it  proceeded  from  pure  motives,  although 

by  it  we  were  but  gratifying  the  finer  feelings  of  our  own  disposition. 

— L  L. 

10 


110  THE   SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM. 

tlie  son  of  her  womb?     Yea^  she  may  forget,  but  I  will 
not  foro-et  thee." 

The  Eternal  knew  the  nature  of  His  creatures.  There 
was  no  need  to  bid  a  mother  cherish  her  child;  but  the 
wild  exuberance  of  youthful  spirits,  the  desire  to  fling 
aside  all  appearance  of  parental  yoke,  the  liability  to  for- 
get in  manhood  the  love,  the  cares,  lavished  on  helpless 
infancy,  even  setting  aside  selfish  interest  or  false  pride, 
all  these  needed  the  precept  to  honour  our  parents.  Xor 
sorrow,  nor  poverty,  nor  even  the  absence  of  all  attract- 
ive qualities,  will  shake,  nay,  perhaps,  they  will  rather 
increase  a  mother's  love.  It  matters  not  that  marriage 
or  other  circumstances  remove  her  children  from  her 
hearth ;  thev  cannot  remove  them  from  her  heart.  Seas 
may  roll  betw^een,  and  long  years  pass;  still,  still,  it 
matters  not ;  stronger  than  death,  maternal  affection  lin- 
gers to  the  end;  and  though  age  and  its  attendant  evils 
may  diminish  bodily  strength  or  mental  resources,  yet  if 
sickness,  or  sorrow,  or  shame,  be  the  portion  of  her  be- 
loved ones,  is  she  not  the  first  to  fly  to  them  still?  But 
lovely  as  is  the  perfection  of  filial  love,  its  nature  is  not 
thus  constant,  thus  devoted;  if  it  were,  we  should  not 
meet  with  children  whose  better  education  or  more  pros- 
perous ways  have  raised  them  to  a  higher  rank  than  that 
in  which  they  were  born,  often  fearing  to  confess  their 
lineage;  we  should  never  hear  of  neglect  or  unkindness 
on  the  part  of  the  child,  of  ingratitude,  forgetfulness  of 
duty,  till,  silently,  and  the  cause  unsuspected,  the  parent's 
heart  bleeds  and  breaks.  These  things  have  been,  though 
their  occurrence  may  be  rare;  but  they  have  been;  even 
the  Book  of  Life  will  provide  us  with  examples,  proofs, 
that  there  was  a  cause  for  the  fifth  commandment,  or  it 
would  not  have  been  given.  If  the  love  of  a  child  for 
Lis  parent  were  as  perfect  as  his  parent's  love  for  him, 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  Ill 

there  would  have  been  no  more  need  to  give  directions 
for  the  conduct  of  the  one,  than  for  that  of  the  other;* 
and  therefore  it  is  wrono;  to  dismiss  it  disrep-arded  as 
a  command  all  must  obey,  if  they  would  not  be  hated 
and  contemned  as  monsters  of  nature.  It  is  not  always 
obeyed,  even  when  gross  or  palpable  disobedience  to  its 
beautiful  ordinance  is  most  carefully  avoided. 

Continued  blessings  of  whatever  nature  very  often 
render  us  insensible,  if  not  quite  unconscious  of  their  ex- 
istence; and  therefore  it  is,  that  we  frequently  find  the 
deep  anguish  inflicted  by  the  death  of  a  parent  painfully 
aggravated  by  the  thought,  the  full  value  of  the  blessing 
was  never  known  till  it  was  lost ;  and  instances  of  neglect, 
unkindness,  disobedience,  rise  up  to  appall  us,  and  we 
wonder  they  could  have  appeared  so  small,  as  to  blind  us 
to  their  recurrence.  Death  in  connection  with  a  beloved 
object  is  an  awful  subject  of  contemplation;  yet  would 
it  be  better  sometimes  to  dwell  upon  it  thus,  and  permit 
its  recollection,  sorrowing  as  it  is,  sometimes  to  check 
the  ebullition  of  ill  temper  or  ill  will,  sometimes  to  rouse 
the  indolent  and  calm  the  impatient,  than  allow  it  to 
come  upon  us  unawares,  and  bear  from  our  detaining 
grasp  a  blessing  which,  when  with  us,  we  knew  not  suf- 
ficiently to  value — which  we  loved  not,  obeyed  not,  re- 
vered not  as,  when  past  away  seemingly  for  ever,  we  feel 
we  ought  to  have  done. 

It  may  be,  that  the  constant  intimacy,  the  uninter- 
rupted intercourse,  and  the  regular  employments  of  home, 

*  There  are,  nevertheless,  directions  for  the  conduct  of  parents 
towards  children  to  be  met  with;  one,  pre-eminent,  is  the  duty  of  im- 
parting religious  instruction,  or  in  other  words,  fitting  them  to  become 
servants  of  the  Lord,  and  this  precept  is  contained  in  the  very  words 
of  the  Shemang,  "  And  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy  chil- 
dren ;"  another  relates  to  the  exercise  of  equal  justice  to  all  the  children 
of  a  man,  for  which  see  Deut.  xxi.  17. — I.  L. 


112  THE  SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM. 

deaden  us  to  the  sense  of  all  we  owe  our  parents.  It  may 
be,  that  we  receive  their  tender  cares,  their  unceasing 
love  as  things  of  course,  which  are  too  common  to  be  felt, 
too  necessary  not  to  be  missed ;  and  the  unselfish  devoted- 
ness,  the  patient  assiduity,  bestowed  on  helpless  infancy, 
on  all  its  little  griefs,  and  sufferings,  and  tempers — the 
time,  labour,  fortune,  often  health  expended  on  opening 
youth,  to  store  the  mind  with  seeds  of  intellect  and  wis- 
dom, to  bestow  every  pleasure,  sympathise  in  every  grief: 
these  things  are  not  always  recalled  at  a  time  when  they 
might  urge  on  to  more  active,  more  endearing  obedience 
to  the  fifth  commandment.  Gratitude,  affection,  respect, 
obedience,  all  are  included  in  the  word  honour.  Yet  not 
one  of  these  beautiful  attributes  of  youth  will  come  of  its 
own  accord.  That  is  not  love,  which  consists  in  passive 
companionship.  It  is  an  ever-active  principle,  urging  on 
to  those  little  attentions,  to  the  silent  desire  to  alleviate 
care,  to  give  pleasure,  to  obey  a  wish  even  before  it  is 
expressed,  to  save  from,  or  insist  on  sharing  fatigue,  to 
those  numberless  little  offices  of  kindness  which  love  feeds 
upon  even  as  it  excites.  Gratitude  is  not  a  mere  name; 
it  is  the  deep  sense  of  all  we  owe  our  parents,  of  all  they 
have  done,  are  still  doing  for  us,  heightened  and  hallowed 
by  filial  love.  Respect  surely  will  not  fail  us,  if  we  medi- 
tate on  their  age,  their  experience,  those  qualities  in  indi- 
vidual character,  which  have  excited  our  love  long  before 
w^e  could  define  them.  Obedience  is  seemingly  the  most 
difficult  of  all  the  duties  enumerated;  yet,  why  should  it 
be  so?  We  cannot  truly  love,  if  we  can  hesitate  one 
moment  to  give  up  our  own  wishes  for  the  gratification 
of  theirs,  to  abstain  from  a  desired  pleasure,  because  their 
experience  knows  its  folly  and  its  hollowness,  and  their 
love  would  shield  us  from  its  excitement  and  its  pain. 
We  cannot  be  truly  grateful  if  u^e  feel  no  desire,  by  the 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  113 

sacrifice  of  our  own  wishes,  when  obedience  demands  it, 
to  return,  as  far  as  in  our  power,  all  that  they  have  done 
for  us. 

And  yet  to  honour  our  parents  needs  no  extraordinary 
effort,  no  public  display;  obedience  to  the  fifth  command- 
ment is  best  proved  around  our  domestic  hearths,  and 
in  little  things.  The  influence  of  real  affection,  of  that 
true  unselfish  love  which  parental  care  dem.ands,  is  silent 
and  invisible,  and  only  felt,  and  only  known  by  the  peace 
and  joy  it  throws  around.  Childhood  may  implicitly 
obey,  and  by  a  thousand  little  winning  arts,  endeavour 
to  show  its  love;  but  youth  it  is  which  can  best  evince 
it.  When  the  powers  of  thought,  and  intellect,  and 
observation  have  shaken  off  the  sluggish  sleep,  which 
chained  them  in  childhood,  when  the  affections  begin  to 
feel  their  depth,  and  warmth,  and  solid  education  and 
graceful  accomplishments  have  heightened  the  playful 
vivacity  of  childhood,  by  the  addition  of  more  lasting 
charms:  then  it  is  youth  can  best  prove  its  love.  Per- 
haps the  health  and  vigour  of  our  parents  are  then  be- 
ginning to  decline,  whilst  youth  with  buoyant  heart  and 
bounding  steps  ascends  the  hill  of  life,  by  a  path  which 
knows  but  sweets  and  flowers,  which  fancy  decks  with 
such  bright  and  glistening  hues,  when  hope  is  smiling 
and  beauty  points  upwards  to  the  radiant  summit,  where 
glory,  honour,  fame,  stand  ready  to  enfold  him  with  their 
lucid  rays ;  perchance  the  tender  guardians  of  his  infancy 
are  beginning  to  descend  that  path  which,  rough  and 
craggy,  offers  no  allurement  and  ends  but  in  eternity, 
whose  golden  promises  are  sometimes  but  faintly  traced 
through  the  blackening  shades  that  gather  round  the 
dream  of  death. 

Then  it  is,  we  should  indeed  honour  our  parents,  and 
by  untiring  attention,  watchful  thought,  prompt  obedi- 

10* 


114  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

ence,  and  willing  submission,  evince  our  gratitude  and 
love. 

The  principal  comforts  and  joys  of  home  depend  on 
youth.  Care  may  have  graven  its  deep  furrows  on  the 
brows  which  in  our  childhood  have  been  gay;  disease 
may  have  fretted  the  tempers  which  in  former  years  have 
been  serene  and  joyous:  then  it  is  the  grateful  task  of 
youth,  by  innocent  gaiety  and  invisible  efforts,  to  drive 
away  care  and  bring  forth  smiles,  to  soothe  the  pains  of 
disease  and  restore  peace  and  comfort.  Nor  are  these 
duties  difficult  to  be  performed.  It  is  but  to  desire  to 
obey  the  fifth  commandment,  to  think  how  best  to  evince 
our  love  and  gratitude  to  the  beloved  guardians  of  our 
infancy,  and  we  shall  not  fail.  Often  are  the  duties  of 
domestic  life  neglected  from  mere  thoughtlessness,  from 
the  received  opinion  that  it  matters  not  how  we  behave 
at  home,  so  we  conduct  ourselves  with  propriety  abroad. 
Yet  were  half  the  labour  now  expended  to  please  the 
world,  to  obtain  the  hollow  applause  of  strangers,  given 
to  increase  the  joys  and  comforts  of  our  homes,  to  obtain 
the  praise  and  rivet  the  love  of  the  nearest  and  dearest 
to  us  on  earth :  how  changed  would  be  many  a  domestic 
scene.  Those  accomplishments,  those  graces  of  the  mind 
so  often  regarded  as  by  far  too  precious  to  be  employed 
for  the  benefit  and  recreation  of  a  domestic  circle,  to 
whom  do  we  owe  their  attainment  and  their  cultivation 
but,  under  our  God,  to  our  parents?  and  to  them  their 
first  fruits  are  due.  Oh!  if  the  young  daughters  of 
Israel,  for  on  them  even  more  than  on  their  brothers  de- 
pends the  comfort  of  home,  would  reflect  on  these  truths, 
trifling,  unimportant  as  they  may  seem:  how  beautifully 
would  they  show  forth  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel 
through  the  perfection  of  His  law,  and  draw  down  upon 
their  own  heads   the  blessed  reward  promised  to  the 


THE  SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  115 

observers  of  the  fifth  commandment,  "that  their  days 
should  be  long  in  the  land  which  the  Lord  their  God 
giveth  them!"  The  land  of  promise  may  be  no  longer 
theirs;  but  if  they  need  the  promise  of  a  reward,  let 
them  not  fear,  but  believe,  and  they  will  find  it  in  heaven. 

And  are  there  yet  other  commandments  which  can 
bear  upon  those  social  and  domestic  duties  peculiar  to 
individuals  of  refined  habits  and  cultivated  minds  ?  Even 
the  ninth  and  tenth  may  be  unconsciously  and  thought- 
lessly disobeyed,  unless  the  spirit  of  piety  have  purified 
that  grosser  part  of  our  frame,  have  released  the  soul 
from  those  heavy  chains  of  corruption  and  sin  which 
surround  and  stifle  that  glorious  image  of  God  in  which 
He  made  man. 

Covetousness  or  envy  is  not  only  a  vice  in  itself,  but 
it  is  always  the  commencement  of  grosser  crimes :  and 
therefore  the  Lord  in  His  infinite  wisdom  and  mercy 
warned  us  against  this  root  of  evil.  We  envy  'persons, 
we  COVET  things ;  yet  their  meaning  is  so  similar,  their 
efi'ects  so  very  much  the  same,  they  may  well  be  re- 
garded together.  In  persons  of  a  lower  grade,  of  ir- 
regular passions,  of  unrestrained  tempers,  and  unedu- 
cated minds,  the  disobedience  of  the  tenth  commandment 
leads  to  the  committal  of  all  the  crimes  which  the  sixth, 
seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  prohibit  and  include.  In  more 
refined  society  it  tempts  to  those  numerous  petty  acts 
of  provocation,  rivalry,  slander,  and  scandal,  which  at 
once  lower  and  debase  the  transgressor  in  his  own  eyes 
and  those  of  his  fellow-men,  and  expose  him  to  the  wrath 
of  his  God,  not  the  less  certain  because  as  yet  deferred 
and  unseen. 

"We  are  in  the  first  place,  guilty  of  bearing  false 
witness,  when  we  say  things  to  the  disparagement  of 
another  which  we  know  to  be  untruths;  this  is  most 


116  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

properly  styled  calumny.  Next  to  this  is  the  raising  or 
spreading  scandalous  and  injurious  reports  without  suf- 
ficient evidence,  or  upon  slight  and  doubtful  grounds. 
Next  come  those  loose  imperfect  accounts,  picked  up  by 
officious  tale-bearers,  who  are  so  eager  to  get  and  propa- 
gate a  new  story  that  they  are  easily  deceived,  and  must 
of  necessity  lose  or  pervert  many  material  circumstances. 
Another  branch  of  the  vice  here  prohibited  is  detraction; 
for  we  are  most  evidently  guilty  of  bearing  a  false  tes- 
timony against  our  neighbour,  when  we  derogate  from 
his  general  wor-th  or  endeavour  to  lessen  the  particular 
merit  of  his  good  actions;  and  lastly  we  must  indivi- 
dually involve  ourselves  in  the  same  guilt,  when  we  ag- 
gravate another's  faults." 

And  whence  do  calumny,  scandal,  detraction,  originally 
rise?  Most  frequently  from  an  unacknowledged  dislike 
of  others  that,  if  traced  to  its  source,  might  be  princi- 
pally discovered  arising  from  the  poisoned  springs  of 
envy,  that  we  covet  their  superior  station  in  the  world, 
their  wealth,  their  capabilities  of  doing  what  they  please; 
or  we  envy  the  superior  grace  and  beauty  of  person,  the 
expansive  intellect,  the  exalted  virtue,  the  estimation  in 
which  they  are  held  by  their  fellow-men.  Why  do  the 
highest  moral  characters,  the  most  consistently  religious, 
find  so  many  enemies,  so  many  detractors  in  this  world  ? 
Why  has  it  become  almost  a  proverb  that  the  lowly  fol- 
lowers of  God's  law,  the  sincerely  good,  so  seldom  meet 
with  the  love  of  the  majority  in  the  world  ?  Why  are 
their  smallest  actions  observed  and  cavilled  at,  their 
words  and  manner  turned,  if  possible,  into  weapons  of 
scandal  and  detraction?  Why?  because  envy  is  unsus- 
pectedly  and  silently  at  work;  because,  unknown  to  the 
detractors  themselves,  envy  is  the  secret  cause  of  their 
undefined,  perhaps  unacknowledged  dislike,  or  that  they 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  117 

unconsciously  covet  some  advantage  whicli  they  may 
possess. 

Guardedly  should  the  human  heart  be  watched,  that 
forgetfulness  of  the  tenth  commandment  find  not  entrance 
through  its  many  openings,  its  many  avenues,  to  sin. 
The  evil  which  its  disobedience  includes  cannot  be 
summed  up,  cannot  be  encouraged  by  the  thought  that 
"so  far  it  shall  go  and  no  farther."  Once  entertained, 
and  the  barriers  of  a  naturally  good  disposition  and  un- 
stained morality  fall  at  once  before  it,  and  it  rushes  on, 
ending  but  in  eternal  anguish.  Truth,  a  strict,  unfal- 
tering adherence  to  truth,  will  guard  from  a  breach  of 
the  ninth  commandment.  Truth,  not  consisting  in  the 
non-utterance  of,  or  non-acting  on  a  deliberate  falsehood; 
but  truth,  that  beautiful  attribute  of  morality  and  piety, 
which  originally  sprung  from  and  ends  in  love  and  re- 
verence for  Him  whose  most  glorious,  most  consoling 
attribute  is  that  He  is  a  God  of  teuth  !  But  to  obey 
His  other  commandments  needs  more  than  the  mere  ad- 
herence to  truth !  Truth  will  not  bear  upon  them.  It 
must  be  the  constant  realization  of  His  presence  within 
us,  the  constant  thought  of  Him  who  gave  these  laws 
and  commanded  their  obedience  for  ever,  the  constant 
watchfulness  over,  and  examination  of  the  human  heart. 
And  therefore  was  it  that  Moses  said  ''and  these  words 
which  I  command  thee  this  day  shall  be  in  thy  heart," 
and  that  Ezra  selected  that  portion  of  his  books  which 
would  remind  us  of  all  the  laws  of  God  in  a  few  brief 
but  emphatic  words ;  that  in  the  morning  we  should  be 
reminded  of  our  duties;  in  the  evening  their  repetition 
should  lead  us  to  look  within  our  hearts,  and  examine 
impartially  the  tale  they  tell.  By  doing  this,  the  sacred 
laws  become  more  indelibly  fixed  within  us,  and  by  look- 
ing on  them  as  guides  and  rules,  not  for  social  commu- 


118  THE   SPIEIT   OF  JUDAISM. 

nities  alone  "but  for  individuals,  the  remembrance  of 
Him  who  gave  them  will  more  often  occupy  the  mind 
and  heart,  and  the  union  of  religion  and  morality  be  at 
length  attained.  Love  will  incite  to  and  welcome  obe- 
dience as  the  desired  proof  of  its  depth  and  truth. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HINTS  ON  THE   EELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION  OF  THE  HEBREW 

YOUTH. 

The  seventh  verse  of  the  sixth  chapter  of  Deute- 
ronomy, and  the  fourth  of  the  Shemang,  contains  so 
much  important  matter  in  a  few  words,  that  each  mem- 
ber of  the  sentence  demands  to  be  considered  separately. 
In  the  preceding  verses,  we  have  been  desired  to  reflect 
on  and  lay  up  the  words  of  the  Lord  in  our  own  hearts; 
in  this,  to  teach  them  to  our  children.  "And  thou  shalt 
teach  them  diligently  to  thy  children,"  i.e.  the  love  of 
God  and  all  that  is  therein  comprised. 

To  instruct  young  children  in  the  dull  routine  of  daily 
lessons,  to  force  the  wandering  mind  to  attention,  the  un- 
willing spirit  to  subjection,  to  bear  with  natural  disincli- 
nation to  irksome  tasks,  all  this,  as  a  modern  writer  very 
justly  observes,  is  far  more  attractive  in  theory  than  in 
practice.  It  is  a  drudgery  for  which  even  some  mothers 
themselves  have  not  sufficient  patience ;  but  very  differ- 
ent is  the  instruction  commanded  in  the  verse  we  are 
regarding.  To  speak  of  God,  to  teach  the  child  His  will, 
to  instil  His  love  into  the  infant  heart,  should  never  be 
looked  on  as  a  daily  task,  nor  associated  with  all  the 


THE  SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  119 

dreaded  paraphernalia  of  books  and  lessons.  The  Bible 
alone  should  be  the  guide  to,  and  assistance  in,  this  pre- 
cious employment.  There  are  moments  when  children 
are  peculiarly  alive  to  emotions  of  devotion.  The  He- 
brew mother  who  desires  her  offspring  to  say  their 
prayers  morning  and  evening,  to  abstain  from  writing, 
working,  or  cutting  on  the  Sabbath,  to  adhere  to  parti- 
cular forms  and  observe  particular  days  as  she  does,  has 
yet  not  wholly  fulfilled  her  solemn  duty.  This  will  not 
be  enough  to  make  the  Hebrew  child  love  his  God  or  his 
religion  :  not  enough  to  restrain  him  in  manhood  from 
becoming  a  Christian,*  if  it  favour  his  interest  or  ambi- 
tion so  to  do. 

Far  more  depends  on  Hebrew  parents  than  on  Chris- 
tian ;  the  latter  have  their  places  of  public  worship 
wherever  they  may  dwell,  their  ministers  whose  whole 
lives  are  devoted  to  the  service  of  their  God,  to  the 
moral  and  religious  welfare  of  their  fellow-creatures.  In 
their  earliest  years,  Christian  children  attend  once  a 
week  the  house  of  God.  They  join  in  prayers  which,  if 
not  wholly  understood,  are  yet  sufiicient  to  impress  some 
feelings  difi'erent  from  the  impressions  of  the  six  days  of 
labour.  They  hear  the  Bible  explained,  they  see  it  re- 
garded as  indeed  the  Book  of  Life;  and,  though  they 
may  not  understand  why,  some  portions  attract  their 
ear,  which  in  after-years,  are  recalled  with  peculiar 
pleasure.  The  intervening  days  may  weaken  the  impres- 
sion, perhaps  it  is  entirely  forgotten;    but  their  next 


*  Or  restrain  him  from  neglecting,  from  motives  of  unbelief,  the  dic- 
tates of  his  religion.  This  alternative  is  more  to  he  dreaded  than  the 
one  in  the  text ;  at  all  events  if  we  take  America  and  France  as  a 
criterion.  In  fact,  we  may  say,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that 
conversions  are  rare  indeed  where  the  Jews  possess  liberty  of  con- 
science.— I.  L. 


120  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

Sabbatli  they  go  again,  and  tlie  feeling  is  rendered 
stronger.  They  see  a  large  concourse  around  them  en- 
gaged in  the  same  solemn  service,  praying  in  a  language 
familiar  to  them,  and  this  would  be  of  itself  enough  to 
chain  a  child's  attention.  They  feel  it  as  a  privilege 
thus  to  seek  their  God ;  and  this  feeling  follows  the  child 
to  youth,  to  manhood,  and  almost  involuntarily  religion 
is  imbibed.  Even  those  deprived  of  religious  parents 
have  yet  advantages  peculiar  to  themselves,  in  the  fact 
that  the  faith  they  profess  is  the  faith  of  their  country 
and  of  all  around  them. 

The  Hebrew  child  has  not   these  advantages.      De- 
barred from  the  public  exercise*  of   devotion   on   his 

*  My  friend  draws,  indeed,  a  melancholy  picture  of  religious  debase- 
ment, and  if  this  is  universally  the  case  in  England,  the  men  and 
women  of  Israel  inhabiting  that  land  ought  to  arrest  almost  every 
charity  sooner  than  let  such  an  ignominious  state  exist  any  longer  for 
want  of  pecuniary  means  to  obtain  labourers  in  the  field  of  regenera- 
tion. What?  no  religious  instruction?  no  books?  no  expounding  of 
the  Text  ?  no  spiritual  guides  ?  no  men  of  whom  people  could  inquire 
the  way  of  life  ?  All  the  defects  Miss  A.  enumerates  can  be  legally 
remedied,  and  we  have  yet  to  learn  that  there  are  not  means  and  men 
at  hand  to  effect  this.  The  only  thing  my  friend  complains  of,  which 
admits  of  no  alteration,  is  the  public  worship  in  the  Hebrew  language. 
(Miss  Aguilar  agrees  mainly  with  the  view  here  expressed,  in  the 
sequel,  which  see.)  But  why  should  that  language  of  ancient  Israel 
not  be  also  the  language  of  modern  Jews  ?  why  not  establish  schools  in 
every  town  and  village  where  the  children  may  learn  to  read  the  Bible, 
not  from  a  translation  made  by  Christian  prelates,  and  authorised  to  be 
read  in  churches  by  a  Christian  king,  and  which  is  no  doubt  erroneous 
in  many  passages  on  which  our  opponents  rely  for  the  establishment 
of  their  doctrines,  but  in  the  original  language  in  which  it  was  first 
announced ;  so  that  they  may  be  able  to  form  a  correct,  unbiassed 
judgment  of  the  word  of  their  God.  If  this  course  were  adopted  to 
any  extent,  the  child  of  eight  years  old  would  know  understandingly 
the  major  part  of  his  prayers,  and  before  he  arrives  at  the  age  when 
he  could  pray  with  devotion,  all  the  words  of  his  lips  in  his  address  to 
the  Lord  of  life,  would  flow  from  an  understanding  heart  and  a  willing 
spirit.     It  is  ignorance  alone  that  disfigures  our  worship ;  and,  in  the 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  121 

Sabbath  day ;  never  hearing  public  prayers  in  a  language 
he  can  understand; — having  no  public  minister  on  whom. 


name  of  Heaven,  let  it  be  removed  ;  at  all  events  let  the  effort  not  be 
•wanting  to  remove  it.  As  regards  a  public  expounding  of  Scripture, 
it  is  no  new  thing  among  us  ;  for  in  olden  times  the  law  was  publicly 
taught,  even  from  the  days  of  Moses  downward.  (See  Deut.  xxxi.  12, 
13.)  It  is  no  argument  to  say  that  sermons  are  a  custom  of  gentiles ; 
for  if  these  have  adopted  our  modes,  it  would  be  folly  in  the  extreme 
to  banish  them  from  among  us.  A  jealousy  of  innovations  is  highly 
proper,  for  we  too  "  might  fear  the  Greeks  (gentiles)  even  if  they  bear 
presents"  {Timeo  Danaos  et  dona  ferentes) ;  but  we  must  take  care  that 
this  jealousy  is  not  carried  too  far.  In  America,  however,  children  of 
all  ages,  say  from  three  years  and  upwards,  of  both  sexes,  are  attend- 
ants in  Synagogue;  occasionally,  at  least,  the  Law  is  expounded; 
efforts  have  been  made  to  publish  books  solely  for  the  education  of  the 
young,  and  there  are  also  persons  in  every  town  almost,  of  whom  ques- 
tions can  be  asked  with  regard  to  the  deeds  we  should  do.  Moreover, 
for  the  last  three  or  four  years  schools  have  been  commenced  in  differ- 
ent towns  where  religious  instruction  is  dispensed  gratis  to  all  who  may 
come  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  ;  and  efforts  are  now  making  to  ex- 
tend the  system  by  forming  day-schools,  where  every  Israelitish  child 
may  obtain  a  general  education,  coupled  with  a  knowledge  of  his  reli- 
gion. Let  us  hope  that  this  effort  may  not  be  fruitless,  and  that  the 
results  may  not  disappoint  the  projectors.  But  to  our  friends  in  Eng- 
land let  us  address  the  admonition  not  to  be  indifferent  to  the  blessed 
results  of  education  witnessed  in  Germany  and  elsewhere.  They  are 
charitable  to  profusion ;  strangers  from  all  parts  of  the  world  claim, 
not  unheeded,  their  assistance  ;  the  cry  of  anguish  is  not  heard  un- 
moved by  the  princely  merchants  of  Israel  domiciled  in  Britain ;  and 
can  they  be  blind  to  their  own  defects  ?  can  they  refuse  to  aid  them- 
selves, their  children,  their  friends,  out  of  the  pit  of  religious  ignorance 
which  is  said  to  exist  among  them  ?  All  that  is  required  is  an  effort, 
undertaken  not  in  the  spirit  of  fault-finding  and  hasty  reform,  but  in 
an  humble  striving  to  magnify  the  Lord.  I  will  not  mention  any  one 
by  name ;  but  there  are  those  whom  God  has  greatly  blessed ;  fugitives, 
some  from  the  bondage  of  the  Czar,  former  residents  of  oppressed  Ger- 
many, and  others  again  in  whose  veins  flows  the  blood  of  many  a 
martyr  from  the  persecution  of  the  Inquisition.  Surely  they  all  feel 
their  duty ;  let  them  feel  it  more  deeply,  and  not  rest  till  they  have 
restored  the  Law  among  their  brethren,  and  glorified  the  Lord  by  their 
faith  and  deeds. — I.  L. 

11 


122  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

he  can  call  for  that  instruction  he  may  not  have  received 
at  home;  never  hearing  the  law  expounded,  or  the  Bible 
in  any  way  explained:  to  his  mother  alone  the  Hebrew 
child  must  look,  on  his  mother  alone  depend  for  the  spirit 
of  religion,  the  inculcation  of  that  faith  which  must  fol- 
low him  through  life. 

Few  in  number,  scattered  amonojst  the  nations  without 
a  land  to  claim  as  our  own,  a  king  to  cherish  and  protect 
us,  we  are  daily  thrown  amongst  those  believing  in  and 
following  another  creed.  ''And  ye  shall  be  left  few  in 
number,  whereas  ye  were  even  as  the  stars  in  heaven  for 
multitude,  because  thou  wouldst  not  obey  the  voice  of 
the  Lord  thy  God;  and  the  Lord  shall  scatter  thee 
among  all  people  from  one  end  of  the  world  even  unto 
another."  (Deuteronomy  xxviii.  62,  64.)  Such  was 
the  awful  doom  pronounced  by  the  great  prophet  whose 
words  we  are  considering.  We  knew  the  word  of  the 
Lord  was  never  known  to  fail,  and  yet  we  disobeyed. 
Our  own  wickedness  called  down  on  ourselves  the  ven- 
geance, so  long,  through  an  infinity  of  love,  deferred; 
and  therefore  these  facts  cannot  be  brought  forward  to 
excuse  negligence  in  the  instruction  of  our  children. 
Our  Father  knows  every  difficulty  and  every  circum- 
stance that  combine  to  render  the  Hebrew  mother's  task 
more  arduous,  more  responsible  than  the  Christian.  He 
expects  not  more  than  weak  humanity  can  perform;  but 
He  will  not  accept  the  plea  of  disadvantages,  of  difficul- 
ties, as  acquitting  us  of  a  parent's  duty. 

Were  love  and  gratitude  to  Him  banished  from  every 
other  human  heart,  surely  they  would  swell  in  a  young 
mother's  breast,  as  she  gazes  upon  the  little  creature 
undeniably  His  gift,  and  feels  the  full  gushing  tide  of 
rapture  ever  attendant  on  maternal  love.  Surely  in  such 
a  moment  there  must  be  whisperings  of  devotion,  lead- 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  123 

ing  the  soul  in  gratitude  to  the  beneficent  Giver  of  her 
babe,  or  swelling  it  with  prayer  to  guide  that  precious 
charge  aright.  It  may  be,  that  doubts  of  her  own  ca- 
pability of  executing  a  task,  as  solemnly  important  as 
inexpressibly  sweet,  may  naturally  arise ;  but  these 
doubts,  instead  of  leading  her  to  give  up  the  task  in  de- 
spair, should  lead  her  to  the  footstool  of  her  God  in 
prayer;  and  her  petition,  even  as  that  of  Hannah  was, 
will  be  granted. 

That  truly  pious  Jewess  not  only  devoted  her  child  to 
God,  but  so  devoted  him,  that  but  once  in  the  year  she 
could  behold  him;  and  at  first  he  was  her  only  child — 
the  little  being  for  whom  morning  and  evening  she  had 
implored  the  Lord,  implored  Him  in  tears,  in  fasting,  in 
bitterness  of  soul.  Her  prayer  was  heard;  and  how 
fervent  must  have  been  her  gratitude,  how  great  the 
love  she  bore  her  God,  how  implicit  her  reliance  on  His 
love  for  her,  that  she  stilled  the  yearnings  of  a  mother's 
tenderness,  and  as  soon  as  the  boy  was  weaned,  brought 
him  up  to  the  high  priest  and  left  him  there.  And  was 
not  her  pious  faithfulness  rewarded?  Three  other  sons 
and  two  daughters  did  she  bear;  and  her  eldest,  the  joy, 
the  hope  of  her  heart,  became  the  favoured  prophet  of 
the  Lord. 

To  part  thus  from  her  child  is  not  now  demanded  of 
the  Hebrew  mother;  nor  can  there  now  be  such  a  blessed 
consummation  of  such  a  self-conquering  struggle.  Yet 
the  example  of  Hannah  should  be  treasured  up  by  all 
the  daughters  of  her  race,  whom  the  same  beneficent 
God  has  blessed  with  children.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  in  the  present  state  of  Israel  the  word  of  God  can- 
not and  must  not  be  taken  literally  as  it  regards  the  im- 
mediate answers  to  prayers,  or  punishment  of  sin.  The 
lapse  of  years,  the  difference  of  position,  must  not  be  for- 


124  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

gotten.  All  the  pious  actions  there  described,  cannot 
now  be  performed,  nor  dare  we  expect  the  same  direct 
manifestation  of  our  Father  in  reward :  yet  this  is  no 
cause  of,  nor  excuse  for,  the  neglect  of  the  Bible.  Vouch- 
safed in  love  and  mercy  as  an  unfailing  guide,  it  at  least 
teaches  what  is  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  our  God,  by  the 
blessings  that  directly  follow  or  are  promised.  We  learn 
too  that  ''The  Lord  is  merciful  and  gracious,  slow  to 
anger  and  plenteous  in  mercy;"  that,  "As  the  heaven  is 
high  above  the  earth,  so  great  is  His  mercy  towards 
them  that  fear  Him;"  and  therefore  if  the  examples  set 
before  us  in  His  book  are  follow^ed  accordine^  to  our 
ability,  aided  and  strengthened  by  constant  prayer,  it 
is  certain  we  too  shall  be  blessed,  if  not  in  this  world,  in 
that  ''where  they  shall  teach  no  more  every  man  his 
neighbour,  and  every  man  his  brother,  saying,  Know 
the  Lord,  for  they  shall  a.11  know  me,  from  the  least  of 
them  to  the  greatest  of  them,  saith  the  Lord;  for  I  will 
forgive  their  iniquities,  and  I  will  remember  their  sins 
no  more."     (Jer.  xxxi.  34.) 

We  cannot  devote  our  sons  to  the  service  of  the  Lord 
as  Hannah,  nor,  even  if  we  could,  would  we  all  be  re- 
quired to  do  so;  but  we  may  teach  them  to  know  and  to 
fear  Hira,  and  to  guide  their  every  action  by  their  love 
for  Him.  We  may  teach  them  by  their  conduct  to  dis- 
play His  glory,  the  honour  of  Jerusalem,  the  comfort  of 
the  Hebrew  faith.  Even  scattered  as  w^e  are  amongst 
the  stranger,  we  can  do  this;  and  this  is  devoting  them 
unto  their  God.  The  same  reward  may  not  be  ours,  as 
was  bestowed  on  Hannah;  yet  we  shall  be  blessed.  The 
Lord  will  forsake  us  not;  and  as  we  behold  our  children 
grow  around  us  in  true  piety,  and  consequently  in  the 
exercise  of  every  virtue :  will  not  every  Hebrew  mother 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  125 

feel  that  tlie  word  of  the  Lord  is  true  and  she  is  blessed 
indeed? 

To  do  this,  to  obtain  this  desirable  end,  religion  must 
not  be  learnt  from  a  book,  nor  be  regarded  as  a  severe 
restraint.  A  mother,  whose  heart  is  in  her  work,  will 
find  many  opportunities,  which,  properly  improved,  will 
lead  her  little  charge  to  God.  Our  prayers  are  long, 
and  not  applicable  to  childish  wants  and  feelings;  but  a 
mother  may  find  a  sweet  employment  in  throwing  toge- 
ther some  well-selected  passages,  either  from  our  ritual 
or  the  Book  of  Life,  to  form  short  but  impressive  prayers 
for  both  morning  and  evening.  A  mother's  lips  should 
teach  them  to  her  child,  and  not  leave  the  first  impres- 
sions of  religion  to  be  received  from  a  Christian  nurse. 
"Were  the  associations  of  a  mother  connected  with  the 
act  of  praying,  associations  of  such  long  continuance 
that  the  child  knew  not  when  they  were  implanted:  the 
piety  of  maturer  years  would  not  be  so  likely  to  waver. 

There  is  a  peculiar  sweetness  in  the  remembrance  of 
a  mother.  When  a  young  man  has  raised  himself  by 
his  own  virtues  and  talents  in  the  world,  when  he  feels 
himself  esteemed  and  beloved  bv  his  fellow-men:  he  will 
still  think  of  his  mother,  if  it  have  been  from  her  lips 
the  first  lessons  of  virtue  were  imbibed ;  and  if  religion 
were  as  zealously  and  carefully  implanted,  would  not 
her  memory  have  equal  influence  in  guarding  him  from 
temptation,  strengthening  him  to  walk  on  in  the  paths 
she  loved?  It  may  be  that  continual  occupation,  per- 
haps arduous  labour,  or  severe  thought  and  study,  have 
withdrawn  his  attention  a  while  from  his  God;  or  that 
the  paths  of  pleasure,  encircling  him  with  their  delu- 
sive rays,  conceal  from  his  eyes  the  light  of  eternity. 
Some  sudden  association  recalls  his  mother  to  his  mind; 

the  days  of  his  early  infancy,  his  happy  boyhood,  rise 

11* 


126  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

before  him,  and  with  it  the  remembrance  of  duties  he 
has  neglected,  the  hours  of  prayer  that  have  passed  by 
unheeded.  He  hears  again  the  sweet  and  gentle  voice 
which  first  spoke  to  him  of  God;  he  sees  again  those 
happy  hours  when,  seated  at  her  feet,  he  rested  his  little 
hands  upon  her  lap,  and  repeated  with  her  the  words  of 
prayer,  or  listened  with  tearful  eyes,  and  swelling  heart, 
to  the  tales  of  sacred  love  her  gentle  accents  told.  Few 
hearts  could  remain  cold  and  unmoved  in  the  midst  of 
such  recollections;  he  is  more  likely  to  prostrate  himself 
before  the  God  that  mother  worshipped,  and  pray  again 
even  as  in  childhood.  And  will  the  Hebrew  mother 
neglect  this  solemn  yet  blessed  duty?  Will  she  refrain 
from  thus  associating  herself  in  the  heart  of  her  child, 
when,  far  more  than  the  Kazarene,  the  sons  of  Israel 
require  it?  Will  she  not  teach  the  religion  of  the  heart 
unto  her  children,  instead  of  merely  inculcating  peculiar 
forms,  and  desiring  them  to  observe  peculiar  rites? 
Will  she  not  teach  them  to  fly  to  the  footstool  of  their 
God  for  guidance,  instruction,  strength,  and  grace  to 
resist  temptation — blessing  on  all  they  undertake — com- 
fort in  affliction — moderation  in  prosperity: — will  she 
not  teach  them  this,  instead  of  so  banishing  religion 
from  the  early  education,  that  her  sons  in  manhood 
stand  and  act  as  if  all  depended  on  themselves,  on  good 
and  evil  fortune — acknowledging  indeed  a  God,  yet 
living  as  if  of  Him  they  had  no  need?  her  daughters, 
either  wholly  occupied  with  the  affairs  of  this  world, 
living  as  if  there  were  no  eternity,  and  consequently 
trembling  at  the  very  name  of  death? — or,  needing  com- 
fort, strength,  hope,  and  finding  them  not  in  the  religion 
of  their  fathers,  are  tempted  to  seek  them  where  they 
fancy  that  no  spiritless  form  restrains  the  soul,  and  con- 
solation is  more  easily  attained? 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  127 

It  is  not  merely  hearing  of  God  in  tlie  stated  hours  of 
devotion,  which  will  remedy  this  evil.     When  a  child  is 
more  than  usually  happy,  rendered  so  perhaps  by  some 
indulgence  or  reward :  the  kindness  of  earthly  friends 
should  be  made  a  secondary  cause,  the  blessing  and  love 
of  his  Father  in  heaven,  the  first     The  mind  of  a  child 
when  thus  excited  would  not  easily  forget  the  impressions 
then  engrafted;  his  very  affections,  judiciously  directed, 
would  draw  him  nearer  to  God,  for  it  is  His  love  which 
hath  given  him  the  friends  it  gives  him  so  much  joy  to 
love.     Joyous   emotions  are  natural  to  childhood,  and 
then  is  the  time  to  instil  both  gratitude  and  love.     In 
times  of  disappointment  or  in  sorrow — why  should  not 
the  little  heart  be  soothed  and  caressed  into  submission 
by  associating  even  this  trial  with  a  God  of  love?     Petty 
as  the  sorrows  of  childhood  may  seem  to  those  of  riper 
years:  yet  we  do  wrong  to  smile  them  to  scorn;  they  are 
as  severe  to  the  little  sufferer  as  the  graver  sorrows  are 
to  maturer  years.     If  discontent  darken  the  brow  or 
create  ill  temper:  instead  of  angry  reproof,  the  attention 
of  the  child  might  be  gently  drawn  to  the  multitude  of 
poor  helpless  children,  who  know  not  the  very  name  of 
many  blessings  lavished  around  him;  and  he  might  be 
asked  how  he  can  pray  to  his  Father  in  heaven  for  a 
continuance  of  His  love  and  kindness,  when  he  thus  in- 
dulges in  fretfulness  and  discontent?     If  superior  talent, 
superior  beauty,  be  the  portion  of  a  child :  the  young 
heart  may  be  taught  they  are  the  gifts  of  his  God,  and 
demand  yet  more  thanksgiving,  humility,  and  prayer  to 
Him,  than  is  required  of  those  less  gifted;  for  if  more 
hath  been  mercifully  granted  him,  more  will  be  required; 
and  that  pride  and  self-conceit  will  turn  those  rich  gifts 
into  a  curse  instead  of  blessing. 

Were  such  the  education  of  early  childhood,  increase 


128  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

of  piety  might  be  hoped  and  looked  for  in  manhood. 
But  these  lessons  must  come  from  a  mother,  and  can 
only  be  impressed  in  the  earliest  years;  it  will  be  too 
late  to  wait  till  the  character  is  formed.  On  a  mother 
depends  greatly  the  formation  of  character ;  and  there- 
fore she  would  be  wrong  to  fancy  she  has  time  enough 
before  her.  Religion  should  grow  with  our  growth,  in- 
crease with  our  years,  and  thus  become  so  completely  part 
of  our  being,  that  the  child  would  find  it  difficult  to 
recall  when  he  first  heard  of  God,  when  he  first  was 
taught  that  love  of  God  must  be  the  mainspring  of  his 
life.  If  in  childhood  his  joys  and  sorrows  have  been 
made  sources  of  communion  between  him  and  his  hea- 
venly Father :  instinctively  he  will  in  manhood  bless  his 
God  in  prosperity,  and  fly  to  Him  for  comfort  in  afilic- 
tion.  If  in  childhood  he  has  been  taught  to  pray  for 
aid,  in  the  tasks  and  temptations  of  the  day,  so  too  in 
the  weightier  afi'airs  of  manhood  will  he  seek  the  guid- 
ance of  the  Lord.  If  he  have  been  corrected  when  a 
child,  because  he  had  offended  his  heavenly,  yet  more 
than  his  earthly  Father,  and  led  to  pray  for  grace  in  the 
removal  of  his  faults:  in  after-years  he  will  guai^d  against 
error  and  sin,  not  for  fear  of  the  judgment  of  the  world, 
but  of  that  of  a  higher  Judge.  He  will  walk  on,  feeling 
his  own  lowliness,  his  own  dependence  on  his  God;  yet 
in  the  sight  of  his  fellows,  virttie  and  honour  will  encircle 
him  w^ith  their  robes  of  light;  for  inward,  yet  ever- 
working  piety,  will  be  the  shield,  against  which  the  arrows 
of  guilt  and  temptation  will  be  blunted — and  the  main- 
spring from  which  his  every  action  will  revolve  with 
heitrhtened  and  unfailino;  lustre. 

To  the  mothers  of  every  faith  and  every  class  these 
hints  may  be  equally  applicable;  but  to  Jewish  mothers 
more  particularly.     We  have  but  to  study  the  Book  of 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  129 

Life  and  every  history  of  our  nation :  and  we  shall  not 
fail  to  perceive  that  the  religion  Moses  taught  was  in- 
tended to  unite  the  thought  of  God  with  our  every  action. 
If  a  Christian  writer  finds  sufficient  foundation  for  the 
assertion  that  ''there  can  be  no  half  measures  in  devo- 
tion; religion  must  be  all  or  nothing:"  how  much  more 
powerfully  should  we  feel  it,  we — who  are  a  peculiar 
people,  the  first-born  of  the  Lord,  thus  called  by  the 
Eternal  Himself,  and  therefore  absolutely  set  apart,  to 
exalt  by  our  conduct  His  glory  amidst  the  nations?  It 
is  urged,  perhaps,  our  situation  is  not  now  what  it  was; 
that  it  does  not  depend  on  us  alone  "to  magnify  the 
Lord ;"  that  we  are  but  as  a  handful  amidst  the  nations 
that  now  worship  Him :  yet  this  fact  in  no  way  decreases 
our  responsibility.  It  is  rather  increased ;  for  it  is  easy 
to  divide  the  worship  of  the  one  true  God  from  idolatry, 
— many  civil  as  well  as  religious  customs  did  this;  but 
now,  mingling  intimately  with  the  nations  that  wor- 
ship God,  though  not  as  we  do,  living  under  the  same 
civil  jurisdiction,  acknowledging  the  same  sovereign, 
unless  the  adherence  to  the  laws  of  Moses  be  even  more 
exact,  it  is  more  than  likely  our  nationality  would  be 
entirely  lost,  as  well  as  all  pride,  all  glory  in  the  Hebrew 
faith. 

To  prevent  this  great  evil  should  be  the  Hebrew  mo- 
ther's aim.  The  youngest  child  may  be  taught  that  he 
is  a  member  of  a  distinct  and  peculiar  nation.  The  great 
mercies  and  unchanging  love  of  the  Lord  will,  if  well 
related,  find  very  early  an  answering  chord  in  the  youth- 
ful heart.  The  wonderful  providence,  the  stupendous 
miracles,  the  innumerable  instances  of  our  Father's  long 
suff'ering  and  loving  kindness,  which  our  eventful  his- 
tory records,  might  be  related  as  interesting  tales  in  those 
many  leisure  hours  that  the  child  looks  up  so  clingingly 


130  THE   SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM. 

and  fondly  to  his  mother  for  amusement.  Vividly  and 
interestingly  might  these  narratives  be  opened  to  the 
young  and  eager  mind,  till  almost  insensibly  he  feels  it  a 
privilege,  even  at  this  long  lapse  of  years,  to  belong  to 
a  nation  so  peculiarly  blessed,  so  singularly  the  object 
of  God's  gracious  providence;  and  that  false  shame,  now, 
alas,  but  too  familiar  to  the  Hebrew,  would  never  flush 
the  cheek,  or  lead  the  tongue  to  falsehood.  Never  would 
manhood  descend  to  mean  subterfuge,  or  weak  evasion 
to  conceal  his  faith.  If  the  path  of  ambition  be  confined, 
he  will  not  wish  to  enlarge  it  at  the  price  of  his  religion. 
It  will  be  his  pride  to  prove  to  the  nations  the  spirit  of 
his  faith,  that  even  in  our  captive  and  degraded  state,  we 
are  still  the  peculiar  treasure  of  the  Lord.  He  will  not 
throw  off  the  bondage  of  our  forms,  he  will  not  condemn 
their  dictates;  for  he  will  trace  their  minutest  regula- 
tions to  the  same  merciful  Father,  whose  love  supports, 
whose  arm  sustains  him.  He  will  not  deem  their  restric- 
tions hardships,  but  hail  them  with  delight  as  proofs  of 
the  obedience  and  willing  service  his  love  urges  him  to 
pay  unto  his  God.  He  will  feel  to  his  heart's  core,  that 
weak,  corrupted  as  he  is  of  himself,  it  is  by  obedience 
alone,  implicit,  unquestioning,  untiring  obedience,  he  can 
manifest  that  in  very  truth  he  seeks  to  love  his  God ;  and 
therefore  whatever  he  may  fancy,  of  this  he  is  certain, 
that  if  he  disobey,  it  is  but  spurious  affection  that  he 
feels — he  cannot  love  the  Lord. 

Much  will  the  Hebrew  mother  have  accomplished,  if 
she  thus  teach  her  children  to  love,  obey,  and  glory  in 
the  faith  of  the  one  and  only  God.  Yet  this  will  not  be 
quite  enough;  she  must  do  more.  She  must  relate  the 
fearful  apostasy  of  Israel.  Even  as  she  sketched  his 
glory,  must  she  depict  his  sins,  ingratitude,  rebellion, 
such  as  no  other  people  knew.    She  must  show  forth  the 


THE   SPIPvIT   OF   JUDAISM.  131 

retributive  wrath  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  wretchedness 
we  drew  down  upon  ourselves.  As  her  children  increase 
in  years  and  understanding,  she  might  study  with  them 
the  writings  of  the  prophets,  particularly  marking  those 
passages  relative  to  her  subject;  and  by  interesting  refer- 
ences, both  to  past  and  present  history,  prove  how  lite- 
rally and  how  completely  these  awful  threatenings  have 
been  fulfilled.  It  would  be  a  pleasing  task  to  intelligent 
parents  to  select  passages  from  many  standard  works  on 
the  prophecies,  and  fit  them  for  the  comprehension  of 
their  children.  The  Christians  seize  with  avidity  the 
fulfilment  of  prophecies,  particularly  those  relating  to 
Edom,  Egypt,  Moab,  Ammon,  Palestine  itself,  as  proofs 
and  evidence  of  the  truth  of  their  religion.  How  easy 
would  it  be  to  select  portions  from  these  very  books  for 
the  instruction  of  our  children ;  for  the  fulfilment  of 
these  prophecies  only  proves  the  truth  and  eternal  nature 
•  of  our  law,  of  the  whole  Book  of  Life,  according  to  oiir 
belief. 

By  laying  this  foundation  in  childhood,  carefully  guard- 
ing against  the  very  smallest  approach  to  bitterness  or 
scorn  towards  any  other  creed,  we  instil  their  religion 
with  their  growth;  conversion  cannot  take  place  when 
released  from  the  parental  yoke;  for  the  very  weapons 
which  the  Nazarene  would  use  against  them,  have  be- 
come in  their  hands  weapons  of  defence.  Proofs  of  the 
truth  of  Christianity  are  to  the  young  Hebrew  proofs  of 
the  truth  of  Judaism.  Conversion  cannot  take  place  on 
either  side ;  but  mutual  esteem  and  charity  will  take  the 
place  of  such  desire;  for  if  both  religions  appear  to  have 
the  same  foundation,  it  is  evident  God  alone  in  His  own 
good  time  can  remove  the  veil  which  each  believes  flung 
over  the  other. 

There  is  yet  another  most  important  reason  for  im- 


132  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

pressing  carefully  and  deeply  the  awful  sins  of  Israel  on 
the  youthful  Hebrew.  He  sees  the  present  degraded  and 
wandering  state  of  his  nation;  he  perceives  our  condition 
is  widely  different  from  that  of  other  kingdoms;  he  is 
ready  to  feel  and  acknowledge  we  are  cast  off  from  the 
favour  of  the  Lord,  that  His  countenance  is  for  ever 
darkened  towards  us ;  and  if  he  have  not  been  instructed 
in  the  cause  of  this,  if  he  have  not  studied  long  and 
deeply  the  history  of  his  nation  and  read  there — in  our 
continued  rebellions,  apostasy,  transgressions  as  varied 
as  they  are  innumerable,  disobedience  to  every  given 
law — the  real  and  only  origin  of  our  dispersions  and 
fearful  sufferings:  he  is  quite  prepared  to  embrace  the 
creed  of  the  Christian,  and  believe  with  him,  that  all 
our  miseries  originate  in  our  rejection  of  their  messiah; 
that  the  Eternal  has  cast  us  off  because,  according  to  the 
creed  and  charge  of  the  Christian,  we  crucified  His  son.* 


*  Without  the  least  intention  of  weakening  the  force  of  the  evil 
depicted  as  arising  from  the  want  of  a  Jewish  education,  exhibited  in 
the  text,  I  cannot  help  remarking  that  the  non-adoption  of  our  system 
by  no  means  opens  the  way  for  the  embracing  of  Christianity.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  there  are  some,  for  argument's  sake  I  will  say  many,  who  are 
so  struck  by  the  pretended  fulfilment  of  the  gospel  prediction  with  re- 
gard to  our  dispersion,  as  to  admit  the  truth  of  the  dogmas  embraced  in 
the  New  Testament.  But  to  a  philosophical  mind,  or  one  well  versed 
in  Scripture,  such  a  result  must  seem  very  singular.  For,  what  is  Chris- 
tianity as  understood  by  nine  out  of  every  ten  of  its  followers?  nothing 
but  an  absolute  belief  in  a  plurality  in  the  Godhead,  and  a  faith  in  a 
forgiveness  of  sin  through  the  intervention  of  a  mediator,  and  this  a 
being  descended  from  an  incarnation  of  the  divine  principle  in  the  body 
of  a  man.  We  will  not  discuss  either  of  these  points  whether  they  be 
possible  in  the  nature  of  things  or  not;  but  merely  confine  ourselves 
to  their  contradiction  of  Scripture.  Let  us  but  view  the  idea,  "The 
Lord  is  one."  and  what  does  it  say?  but  that  in  the  Deity  there  is  no 
division.  "  The  Lord  is  long-suffering,  forgiving  iniquity,  transgression, 
and  sin ;"  this  too  is  a  Bible  doctrine  ;  where  is  here  a  mention  of  a  me- 
diator?    Lastly,  it  says :  "  I  the  Lord  change  not;"  but  is  an  incarna- 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  133 

From  this  supposed  connection  of  cause  and  effect,  more 
converts  have  been  obtained  than  from  any  other.    And 

tion  ?iot  a  change?  ISTow  even  assume  that  the  Israelite  on  being  ques- 
tioned cannot  account  satisfactorily  for  the  dispersion  of  his  people:  it 
is  almost  impossible  that  he  will  admit  its  being  owing  to  the  refusal  of 
his  forefathers  to  give  credit  in  the  mission  of  one  who  assumed  to  be 
a  part  of  the  Deity,  a  mediator  between  God  and  man,  an  incarnation 
of  an  essence  which  admits  of  no  change. — Miss  Aguilar  no  doubt 
knows  of  instances  where  a  conversion  was  the  result  of  reasoning 
based  upon  such  insufficient  grounds;  but  if  it  were  not  that  some 
worldly  advantage,  real  or  imaginary,  were  connected  in  their  mind's 
eye  with  a  casting  off  of  ancestral  opinions :  few  Jews  indeed  could  be 
found  to  do  so  from  absolute  conviction.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  a 
conviction  is  impossible;  for  the  human  mind  is  at  times  strangely  con- 
stituted; perverted  judgment,  according  to  the  views  of  many  at  least, 
is  not  so  rare  as  to  excite  astonishment ;  but  this  much  we  may  assert 
without  fear  of  offending  our  Christian  friends,  or  of  asserting  an  un- 
truth, that  legitimate  convictions,  or  where  the  converts  can  give  a  rea- 
sonable account  of  th,e  reasons  which  sway  them  for  the  abandonment 
of  Judaism,  are  very  rare  indeed ;  or  else  we  should  not  hear  so  fre- 
quently of  recantations,  or  returnings  to  the  fold  of  Israel. — I  say  again 
we  need  not  fear  conversions  as  much  as  hypocrisy  or  indifference. 
Many  may  pretend  to  a  change  of  religion  for  the  sake  of  a  tangible 
advantage,  such  as  office,  high  standing,  or  an  advantageous  matrimo- 
nial connection ;  but  we  have  yet  to  learn  that  persons  acquainted  with 
Scripture,  who  have  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  a  Jewish  education  in  ever 
so  moderate  a  degree,  could  by  any  possibility  be  induced  to  adopt  the 
doctrine  of  a  trinity  with  the  accessory  belief  in  a  mediator.  We  do 
not  deny  nor  gainsay  that  Christians  of  late  have  had  a  plentiful  har- 
vest of  apostates ;  but  they  were  apostates  in  very  deed,  apostates — • 
deniers  of  their  God  for  worldly  gain.  Solitary  exceptions  may  perhaps 
be  adduced;  but  they  will  be  found  to  proceed  from  the  individual's  hav- 
ing been  always  under  Christian  tuition  or  exposed  through  ignorance 
to  some  unfortunate  influence  of  friends,  who  took  advantage  of  moments 
of  weakness  to  urge  their  views  with  a  success  which  they  themselves 
could  hardly  have  expected  at  another  time. — So  well  are  European 
governments,  anxious  as  they  are  from  political  purposes  to  consolidate 
their  empire  over  the  minds  of  all  their  subjects  no  less  than  their 
bodies,  convinced  of  the  uselessness  of  mere  preaching,  that  they  attach 
political  advantages,  in  some  shape  or  other,  as  bribes  or  bounties  for 
conversions;  no  doubt  under  the  persuasion,  that  though  the  parents 

22  " 


134  ^THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

why  is  this?  simply  because  the  true  reason  of  our  rejec- 
tion has  not  been  taught;  because  the  history  of  the  past 
has  never  been  brought  forward  to  explain  the  present 
and  instruct  us  for  the  future.  Then  carefully  indeed 
should  the  sad  story  of  Israel's  apostasy  be  taught  her 
youthful  followers;  carefully  and  tenderly  guarded 
against,  yet  prepared  to  receive  the  connection  drawn  by 
the  Nazarene  between  our  present  state  and  the  rejection 
of  their  raessiah.  and  to  answer  it  bv  the  manv  evidences 
presented  in  only  too  many  pages  of  the  Jewish  history 
of  its  fallacy. 

The  youthful  mind,  already  touched  by  the  relation 
of  the  inexhaustible  love  and  great  forbearance  of  the 
Eternal,  will  feel,  as  this  history  of  iniquity  and  retri- 
butive justice  is  presented  to  his  view,  overwhelmed  with 
the  magnitude  of  sin,  the  awful  nature  of  the  Lord's 
powder  and  justice.  Then  is  the  favoiirable  moment  to 
open  to  his  heart  and  eye  those  glorious  promises  re- 
lating to  our  final  redemption  and  return  unto  His  favour. 


•will  make  bad  Christians,  the  children  will  be  like  those  of  other  Chris- 
tians, that  is,  believers  in  the  popular  system  from  the  ignorance  of  the 
principles  and  hopes  of  the  Jewish  faith.  Hence  it  is  that,  though  we 
hear  much  of  conversions  to  Christianity  in  Prussia,  Poland,  and  Eng- 
land, such  events  are  extremely  rare  in  France,  Holland,  and  America, 
and  unheard  of  in  the  Ottoman  countries.  In  the  Catholic  countries 
of  Spain  and  her  former  colonies,  the  Jew  hides  his  religion ;  under 
governments  where  he  is  free  to  act  as  he  pleases,  he  cares  for  no  belief 
if  he  values  not  his  own.  Let  the  experiment  be  made  of  treating 
Jews  and  converts  alike,  and  but  few  of  the  latter  will  ever  be  ob- 
tained. Interest  is  a  powerful  stimulus,  but  conscientious  conviction 
a  thing  of  slow  growth,  too  slow  indeed  to  convert  a  Jew  into  any- 
thing else.  The  same  is  also  the  case  with  the  reverse;  Christians  by 
education  are  not  apt  to  see  error  in  their  creed ;  our  views  to  the  con- 
trary notwithstanding.  Hence  Miss  A.  speaks  wisely  in  urging  mutual 
charity  and  forbearance  whilst  enforcing  steadfastness  in  the  path  we 
have  been  pursuing  from  the  time  of  Moses  to  our  own  days. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  135 

We  miglit  quote  innumerable  passages  to  elucidate  our 
meaning,  but  it  is  far  better  to  refer  to  the  fountain-head 
at  once;  and  vain  would  be  the  attempt  to  transcribe 
even  a  quarter  of  those  beautiful  verses  which  Isaiah,  Je- 
remiah, Ezekiel,  Amos,  Micah,  and  Malachi,  and  indeed 
all  the  prophets,  contain,  those  we  have  mentioned  abound- 
ing in  them,  perhaps,  the  most.*  Past  and  present  ages 
display  the  literal  fulfilment  of  every  threatening ;  and 
wherefore  then  should  Israel  doubt  the  future?  While 
therefore  the  young  and  bounding  heart  deplores,  it  may 
not,  cannot  despair;  for  yet  more  powerfully,  more  ap- 
pealingly,  do  these  passages  enable  it  to  cling  and  rejoice, 
and  trust  in  a  God  of  truth  and  love ! 

The  Eternal  hath  said — Not  for  our  sakes,  but  for  His^ 
even  His  own  sake,  will  He  do  this  great  thing ; — but 
while  this  extraordinary  mercy  is  impressed  on  the  young 
heart,  we  must  not  forget  to  instil  how  much  depends 
upon  ourselves.  A  reference  to  the  twenty-sixth  chapter 
of  Leviticus  would  be  a  great  assistance  to  this  instruc- 
tion. There  we  read  the  blessing  and  the  curse ;  and 
history  shows  the  fulfilment  of  both.  And  in  the  last 
seven  verses  we  find  that,  unbounded  and  unfailing  as  is 
the  mercy  of  the  Lord,  He  will  not  renew  His  covenant 
w^ith  us,  unless  we  confess  our  iniquities  and  the  iniquities 
of  our  fathers,  acknowledge  that  our  present  captivity 
and  dispersion  are  the  punishment  of  our  sins,  and  humble 
our  uncircumcised  hearts,  till  we  indeed  find  renewed 
favour  in  His  sight.  If  these  prophetic  verses  be  im- 
pressed  on  the  heart,  and  memory,  and  understanding 
of  the  child :  he  will  each  year  become  more  and  more 
sensible  of  his  responsibility  alike  to  his  God,  his  nation, 


*  See  the  sixtieth  chapter  of  Isaiah  to  the  end  of  his  sublime  pro- 
phecies. 


136  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

and  the  world.  To  his  God — he  will  evince  and  feel  his 
consciousness  of  complete  unworthiness, — his  desire  to 
bring  down  the  blessing  and  avert  the  curse, — his  yearn- 
ing towards  that  promised  land,  and  that  blessed  state  of 
things,  when  all  shall  know  and  love  the  one  sole  God. 
To  his  nation — he  will  remember  that,  in  our  present 
scattered  dwellings,  the  conduct  of  individuals  is  often 
the  criterion  by  which  the  whole  nation  is  indexed ;  and 
therefore  the  Hebrew  must  live  not  for  hi^nself  alone ,  but 
as  the  representative  of  a  belied  and  hated  body,  whom 
his  conduct  will  either  depress  or  exalt.  To  the  world — ■ 
instead  of  seeking  to  deny  his  lineage,  which  the  finger 
of  God  upon  our  brows  will  ever  prevent,  he  will  seek 
to  be  known,  to  be  recognised  as  a  Hebrew,  not  by  his 
countenance  and  peculiar  form  alone,  but  by  the  supe- 
riority of  his  social  and  domestic  character,  emanating 
from  a  spirit  of  religion  which  can  only  be  divine. 
Even  if  the  relia^ious  instruction  hinted  above  should 

o 

sometimes  fail  to  brino;  forth  such  blessed  fruit :  the 
Hebrew  mother  will  yet  have  done  her  duty;  and  not 
on  her  head  will  fall  the  carelessness,  disobedience,  or 
apostasy,  of  her  children.  She  will  stand  absolved  in 
the  sight  of  her  God ;  for  He  will  have  seen  her  strug- 
gles to  lead  her  offspring  in  the  right  way;  and  if  earth 
brino;s  no  reward,  she  will  find  it  at  His  rischt  hand  for 
evermore.  Oh  !  let  but  the  Hebrew  mother  persevere, 
and  far  more  likely  is  it  that  she  will  find  a  sweet  fore- 
taste of  heaven  upon  earth  in  the  conduct  of  her  chil- 
dren, than  that  her  efi'orts  will  all  be  blighted.  She  has 
instructed  them  thus  in  obedience  to  the  word  of  God, 
to  His  commands  found  repeatedly  in  the  Pentateuch, 
and  nowhere  more  impressively  than  in  the  last  six 
verses  of  the  chapter  which  contains  the  Shemang.  The 
words  ''  and  ye  shall  teach  them  to  your  children,"  are 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  137 

but  a  repetition,  a  reme^nhrance,  of  commandments  con- 
tinually given  before;  and  therefore  the  most  literal 
Hebrew  cannot  accuse  us  of  taking  too  enlarged  a  view, 
or  of  spiritualising  its  meaning.  We  cannot  read  the 
Book  of  Life  without  perceiving  how  intimately  the  spirit 
of  relisrion  was  to  mino;le  with  other  instructions,  how 
completely  it  was  to  be  the  first,  the  most  precious  of  all 
studies ;  and  if  instruction  in  piety  was  so  necessary  in 
the  time  of  Moses,  how  much  more  necessary  is  it  noio, 
when,  unless  learnt  from  a  parent's  lips,  it  can  never  be 
learnt  at  all !  And  oh !  will  any  mother  expose  her 
children,  her  beloved,  to  the  miseries  attendant  on  living 
without  their  God  ?  Can  she  think  on  the  immortal 
spirits,  whose  eternal  blessedness  or  everlasting  death  is, 
for  the  first  years  of  their  lives,  in  her  keeping,  and  yet 
not  tremble?  Will  she  not  rather  prostrate  herself  in 
daily  humiliation,  daily  prayer,  to  the  God  of  love  for 
blessing  on  her  arduous  yet  blissful  task  ?  for  aid,  for 
strength,  to  guide  and  assist  her  through  her  path,  how- 
ever rugged  it  may  seem  ?  Can  she  think  on  the  storms, 
the  temptations  that  will  assail  her  son  on  every  side 
when  he  enters  the  world,  and  yet  make  no  effort  to 
provide  him  with  an  armour  of  proof,  and  a  shield  of  de- 
fence ?  Can  she  reflect  on  the  sorrows  that  must  encircle 
the  lovely  girl  at  her  side  ere  this  life  is  past,  and  yet 
leave  unopened  the  well  of  comfort,  provided  for  the 
afflicted  by  our  God  Himself?  Oh!  can  she  leave  her 
to  seek  it  herself  when  sorrows  come,  and  risk  her  seek- 
ing it  in  a  stranger  fold  ?  Can  she  think  a  moment,  that 
death  is  ever  ready  to  snatch  some  beloved  away,  yet 
shun  the  theme  as  if  it  were  enrobed  in  gloom  ?  Can 
she  think  om  this  fearful  parting,  yet  breathe  no  word  of 
immortality?  of  that  glorious  world,  where  the  loved  that 
meet  shall  never  part  again  ?  of  that  blest  sojourn,  where 

12* 


138  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

those  first  called  away  await  the  arrival  of  each  one  be- 
loved? of  that  bright  mansion  near  our  Father's  throne? 
till  those  gone  hence  are  looked  on  as  departed,  not  as 
dead  ? 

Man  needs  religion  to  strengthen  and  to  humble; 
woman,  to  comfort  and  uphold ;  man,  to  keep  him  firm, 
despite  of  temptation  or  of  scorn ;  woman,  to  fill  her 
yearning  heart  with  love;  man,  to  moderate  his  pride,  to 
keep  him  humble  in  prosperity,  and  firm  as  the  ocean- 
rock,  when  the  waves  of  misfortune  beat  around  him; 
woman,  to  teach  her  her  own  dignity,  her  mission  in 
prosperity,  her  anchor  of  refuge,  of  hope,  of  faith,  in 
sorrow. 

It  may  be,  that  in  this  world,  man  may  contrive  to 
live,  ay,  and  be  happy,  without  religion,  till  the  hour  of 
death  awakens  him  to  a  consciousness  of  a  God  and 
another  world ;  but  alas  for  that  woman  who  knows  it 
not !  There  are  trials  peculiar  to  her  heart,  not  the  less 
intense  in  their  anguish,  because  in  many  cases  they  are 
unrevealed,  too  often  unsuspected,  and  therefore  never 
open  to  the  consolation  and  sympathy  of  her  fellows; 
then,  oh  !  what  must  be  her  agony  if  she  know  not  Him 
whose  love  surpasseth  the  dearest,  most  precious  upon 
earth !  if  she  know  not  Him  whose  arms  are  open  to  re- 
ceive her  sinking  frame,  whose  love  demands  her  con- 
fidence, who  will  soothe  and  bless,  if  yet  a  while  He  will 
not  heal — even  as  she  poureth  forth  her  sorrows  on  His 
breast !  How  may  she  go  forth  on  her  lonely  and  un- 
blest  path — alone — to  meet  the  trials,  petty  and  great, 
the  cares,  temptations,  peculiar  to  her  lot :  if  she  feel 
she  have  no  Friend,  if  she  know  not  the  comfort,  the 
blessing  of  a  Father  and  a  Saviour's  eye,  of*  an  Arm  of 
love  around  her  ?  How  may  she  enter  on  the  sacred 
duties  of  a  wife  and  mother,  if  she  know  not  God?  and 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  139 

oh  how  dare  she  love,  if  she  looks  to  this  world  onlv  to 
perfect  and  retain  it  ?  how  may  she  give  her  heart,  her 
happiness  to  the  keeping  of  a  mere  mortal,  whom  one 
little  hour  may  lay  in  the  dust  ?  Surely,  surely,  reflec- 
tion on  this  life,  as  it  is,  should  urge  a  mother  to 
teach  religion  to  her  children,  even  if  she  did  not  look 
on  it  in  the  lisrht  of  obedience  to  her  God.  Adherence 
to  instituted  forms  will  not  be  suflBicient  of  itself  to  make 
religion  a  vital  principle,  or  open  to  the  youthful  heart 
its  ever-springing  fount  of  comfort  and  of  love;  but  if 
the  spirit  of  piety  contained  in  that  brief  command  to 
love  the  Lord  with  heart,  and  soul,  and  might,  be  incul- 
cated in  the  minds  of  our  children :  we  obey  every  one 
of  the  precepts  comprised  in  the  Shemang ;  and  in  rais- 
ing the  affections  of  our  children  to  their  gracious  and 
beneficent  God,  we  cannot  fail  to  strengthen  our  own. 

Ere  we  proceed  to  the  remainder  of  this  verse,  may 
we  be  permitted  to  hint  on  the  importance  of  making 
the  Hebrew  language  familiar  to  every  Hebrew  child  ? 
It  cannot  be  considered  a  dead  language ;  for  the  nation 
to  which  it  originally  belonged  continues  to  exist,  and 
will  exist  for  ever.  It  is  not  indeed  spoken  as  it  would 
have  been,  had  we  remained  in  our  own  land;  yet  it 
might  still  continue  the  link  uniting  the  sons  of  Israel 
wherever  they  may  be.  The  sojourners  in  England, 
France,  Austria,  Spain,  might  be  enabled  to  converse  or 
to  commune  with  each  other  in  their  own  native  tongue, 
though  of  the  language  of  their  respective  homes  each 
might  be  ignorant. 

But  this  end  cannot  be  attained,  if  the  Hebrew  child 
is  merely  taught  to  read  and  translate  his  prayers,  as 
was  formerly  the  case,  and  his  aptitude  in  the  language 
judged  according  to  his  proficiency  in  following  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Synagogue.     Why  should  Hebrew  be  the 


140  THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM. 

only  language  wliicli  is  never  learnt  grammatically  ? 
Why  should  it  not  be  taught  the  infant  Hebrew  even  as 
the  language  of  the  land  in  which  he  is  a  sojourner  ? 
Hebrew  is  scarcely  more  difficult  or  complicated  than 
English;  but  the  latter  is  attained  so  gradually,  we  are 
so  prepared  for  its  grammar  when  we  arrive  at  it,  that 
we  are  never  aware  of  the  difficulties  its  acquirement 
presents  to  a  foreigner;  and  in  the  same  manner  the  dif- 
ficulties of  Hebrew  would  vanish,  were  the  child  equally 
prepared  to  encounter  them;  and  the  gradual  acquire- 
ment of  f;imiliar  words  and  sentences  in  this  ancient 
language  would  do  this  far  better  than  charging  the 
memory  with  portions  of  prayer,  which  only  succeed  in 
divesting  the  sacred  words  from  all  holiness,  and  cause 
the  prayer-book  to  be  regarded  as  a  hated  task,  instead 
of  beina;  welcomed  as  the  blessed  means  of  communion 
between  man  and  his  Maker.  Never  may  we  hope  for 
the  perfect  attainment  of  this  ancient  and  glorious  lan- 
guage, till  the  present  system  has  given  place  to  one  more 
calculated  to  engage  a  child's  fancy;  till  the  prayer- 
book  is  not  the  first  which  we  place  in  an  infant's  hands; 
till  other  than  words  so  sacred  as  prayer  are  the  first 
we  teach  our  children  to  repeat.  Our  aim  indeed  should 
be  to  enable  them  to  address  their  Creator  in  the  lan- 
guage of  their  ancestors,  to  read  His  word  pure  and  un- 
altered, even  as  it  came  from  heaven;  but  by  placing  it 
too  early  before  them,  we  frustrate  our  own  desires. 

We  would  think  it  strange  if,  as  soon  as  a  child  had 
acquired  his  letters  in  French  or  Italian,  the  Henriade 
or  Dante  should  be  placed  before  him,  and  he  should  be 
desired  to  learn  passages  by  rote  with  merely  the  assist- 
ance of  a  subjoined  translation.  We  would  not  hesitate 
to  dismiss  a  master  who  thus  taught;  for  we  should 
know  the  impossibility  of  his  pupils  obtaining  either  a 


THE   SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM.  141 

familiar  or  grammatical  idea  of  the  language.  How 
then  can  we  expect  to  succeed  in  imparting  Hebrew,  if 
this  same  plan  be  followed?  for  the  poetry  of  Dante  and 
Voltaire  is  not  more  difficult  than  the  sublime  strains  of 
the  Hebrew  poets.  What  are  the  P^^ahns  which  form 
our  prayers  but  poetry,  the  most  inspired,  most  difficult 
poetry?  and  we  might  as  well  expect  that  charging  the 
memory  with  them  will  teach  our  children  Hebrew,  as 
the  making  them  repeat  Milton,  as  soon  as  they  had 
learnt  their  English  letters,  would  teach  them  their 
native  tongue.  Gradually  and  pleasantly  we  should 
pave  the  way,  that  difficulties  may  be  encountered  and 
overcome  singly  ;  that,  when  they  do  approach  the  sacred 
volumes,  it  may  be  to  understand  and  to  enjoy  them,  to 
find  new  pleasures,  new  truths,  in  every  page;  and  not 
to  fling  them  aside  with  distaste  and  loathing,  as  soon 
as  the  chains  of  the  school-room  are  broken,  and  the 
young  aspirants  are  set  free. 

Liable  as  we  are  to  religious  arguments  with  the 
Nazarene,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  Hebrew  should 
be  part  of  the  education  we  bestow  on  our  children. 
The  English  Bibles  are  translated  by  the  Christian 
divines,  and  though  the  text  is  generally  correct,  the 
heads  of  the  chapters  are  very  likely  to  mislead.  There 
are  also  some  passages  which,  mysteriously  written  in 
English,  may  appear  capable  of  a  double  meaning;  and 
it  is  more  than  likely  the  young  Israelites  would  refer 
to  the  head  of  the  chapter  for  the  explanation  of  the  text, 
and  thus  become  confused,  and  either  waver,  or  throw 
aside  the  sacred  volume,  as  tending  rather  to  destroy 
than  to  give  peace.  A  perfect  knowledge  of  Hebrew 
would  banish  this  evil  without  interfering  with  the  solid 
comfort  found  in  the  perusal  of  English  Bibles.  It  would 
confirm  them  in  their  faith;  for  it  is  a  known  fact  that, 


142  THE   SPIEIT  OF  JUDAISM. 

when  an  Israelite  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  Hebrew, 
he  understands  it  much  more  fully  and  perfectly  than 
an  English  divine.  He  will  understand  the  peculiar 
structure  of  the  language,  not  only  to  discover  its  real 
meaning,  but  also  to  trace  how  the  Kazarene  has  been 
enabled  to  turn  the  same  passages  to  favour  his  own. 
belief.  He  will  be  enabled  to  produce  argument  for  ar- 
gument, and  guard  against  those  errors  in  the  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible  which  have  been  permitted  to  remain 
as  favouring  the  Christian  creed.  Many  words  in  Eng- 
lish allow  of  a  double  meaning,  and  very  many  also  in 
Hebrew;  therefore  we  cannot  wonder  the  Christian 
translators  should  adopt  those  renderings  bearing  most 
upon  the  religion  in  which  they  believe. 

Instead  of  condemning  them  for  this,  and  being  posi- 
tive they  are  wrong  and  we  are  right,  simply  because 
for  many  generations  we  have  been  so  taught:  how  much 
better  would  it  be  to  refer  to  the  Hebrew  Bible,  to  find 
our  belief  and  comfort  there,  and  be  prepared  to  answer 
every  argument  founded  on  some  particular  transaction, 
by  a  reference  to  the  passage  in  its  original  language, 
and  explain  the  sense  as  we  regard  it? 

Then  indeed  might  the  chosen  children  of  God  be  en- 
abled to  cope  with  those  English  divines,  who  have  made 
the  word  of  God  the  study  of  a  life.  How  few  amongst 
us  now  can  do  so !  How  many  shrink  from  all  argument, 
and  tacitly  allow  the  truth  of  the  mistaken  doctrines 
pressed  upon  them;  because  they  feel  they  can  bring 
forward  nothing  to  support  their  faith ;  and  others  even 
depart  from  the  strict  line  of  truth,  because  there  are  so 
few  amongst  the  Jewish  nation  to  whom  they  can  refer. 

Yet  it  is  sometimes  thought,  that  religious  knowledge 
should  be  the  business  of  priests  or  ministers,  not  of  the 
laymen  of  a  nation.     The  observation  is  just,  regarding 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  143 

other  nations;  but  not  to  the  first-born  of  the  Lord — 
that  one  people  so  peculiarly  set  apart  that  it  was  to  be 
a  "nation  of  priests;"  even  the  king  himself  was  to 
"write  a  copy  of  the  Law  in  a  book,  to  be  with  him  that 
he  might  read  therein  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  learn 
to  fear  the  Lord  his  God,  to  keep  all  the  words  of  this 
law  and  these  statutes  to  do  them."  (Deut.  xvii.  18, 
19.) 

If  these  were  the  commands  of  the  Lord  in  our  own 
land,  and  when  His  spirit  still  dwelt  amongst  us :  how 
much  more  requisite  must  it  be  now  to  attend  to  the 
preservation  of  our  Law  in  its  original  purity;  how  re- 
quisite that  every  child  of  Israel,  male  or  female,  should 
perfectly  understand  the  language  of  our  ancestors,  that 
in  which  the  awful  yet  invisible  Voice  delivered  His  dic- 
tates to  Moses,  that  we  may  indeed  feel,  Hebrew  is 
bound  to  Hebrew  by  a  link  neither  oceans  of  water  nor 
spreading  wastes  of  land  can  sever!  It  matters  not, 
that  it  is  the  opposite  ends  of  the  world  in  which  they 
are  domesticated.  The  sacred  language  is  the  silver  link 
which,  uniting  them  to  each  other,  separates  them  from 
other  nations,  and  makes  them  feel  that  they  are  indeed 
the  witnesses  of  the  Lord.  And  while  they  read  in  re- 
joicing faith  the  Book  of  Life  in  the  language  in  which 
it  was  given,  or  in  humble  adoration  prostrate  themselves 
before  God's  throne:  must  not  a  glowing  of  the  whole 
soul  attend  the  addressing  of  the  Eternal,  in  the  same 
language  in  which  His  awful  voice  addressed  His  favoured 
servants  ? 

Thousands  of  years  have  passed  away — yet  that  lan- 
guage and  that  nation  still  exist;  can  they,  oh  can  they, 
then,  doubt  its  truth  ?  Surely  they  must  feel  their  re- 
ligion comes  indeed  from  their  God;  that  they  are  mem- 


144  THE   SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM. 

bers  of  a  people,  to  whom  such  extraordinary  mercies 
have  been  vouchsafed,  and  that  they  are  the  first-born, 
the  chosen  of  the  Lord! 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  RELIGION  REGARDED  AS  PERVADING  AND 
GUIDING  OUR  CONVERSATION,  PROFANE  READING,  AD- 
MIRATION OF  THE  WORKS  OF  NATURE,  ETC. 

There  is  such  a  marked  distinction  in  the  two  Hebrew 
verbs  used  in  the  fourth  verse  of  the  Shemang,  that  it 
would  be  barely  possible  to  give  them  their  proper 
weight,  were  they  considered  together.  Dnj^t^*!  ren- 
dered in  general  "and  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently," 
&c.,  is  in  the  original  a  remarkably  forcible  expression, 
signifying  to  repeat  over  and  over  again — to  inculcate 
with  diligence  and  constant  care.  It  is  not  enough  to 
talk  of  the  commandments  to  our  children:  we  must 
repeat  them  again  and  again,  till  the  law  and  love  of 
their  God  are  in  very  truth  impressed  on  their  yielding 
mind,  "that  they  may  hear  and  learn  to  fear  the  Lord 
their  God  as  long  as  they  live."  (Deut.  xxxi.  13.)  How 
to  seek  this  desirable  end  and  obey  this  emphatic  com- 
mand, we  have  already  considered.  The  second  member 
of  the  sentence  remains  to  be  regarded. 

We  find  the  root  of  DID  r)"l.?1.1  "  and  thou  shalt  speak 
of  them"  to  be  ^1D*1  to  utter  one's  sentiments  aloud,  to 
speak  or  to  converse  together :  and  we  are  told  in  this  com- 
mand to  speak  or  converse  of  them,  "When  thou  sittest 
in  thy  house,  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  when  thou 
liest  down,  and  when  thou  risesjb  up."     It  is  not  therefore 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  145 

enough  only  to  teach  the  word  of  our  God  unto  our  chil- 
dren: it  is  not  enough  even  to  make  it  the  object  of  indi- 
vidual and  secret  study;  not  enough  even  to  love  Him: 
if  that  love  dwell  in  individual  hearts  alone,  and  is  never 
made  the  subject  of  sweet  communion  around  domestic 
hearths,  or  to  those  friends  we  love  the  best. 

The  two  ordinances  which  close  the  Shemang  are  gene- 
rally observed.  There  are  few  who,  educated  as  sons 
of  Israel  with  some  little  care,  but  will  don  the  peculiar 
dress  for  the  hours  of  prayer  denoted  in  these  precepts; 
few  Hebrews  whose  residences  are  not  adorned  by  the 
little  scroll  of  the  Law  upon  "the  door-posts  and  upon 
their  gates."  And  why  then,  in  steadily  adhering  to  one 
command,  should  they  not  be  equally  consistent  in  seek- 
ing to  obey  the  other?  Both  proceed  from  the  same 
Divine  Author;  one  is  of  equal  importance  with  the 
other;  nay,  it  may  be  that  in  our  present  sad  and.  captive 
state,  to  love  the  Lord,  and  speak  of  Him,  His  attributes, 
His  gracious  providence,  is  even  more  necessary  than  the 
mere  forms  which  the  next  verses  inculcate. 

Yet  when  do  we  speak  of  these  things?  When,  even 
amidst  a  domestic  circle,  does  conversation  turn  upon 
those  topics  which  would  enable  us  to  obey  this  com- 
mand? When  is  religious  conversation  ever  introduced 
except  to  fortify  ourselves  in  our  own  opinions,  to  exalt 
our  own  glory, — not  the  glory  of  our  God, — to  cry  down 
the  belief  of  others,  to  condemn  as  saints  and  hypocrites 
all  whose  opinions  are  somewhat  stricter  than  our  own, 
all  whose  notions  of  piety  are  too  exalted,  too  spiritual 
for  the  worldly  to  comprehend?  When  is  the  word  of 
God  brought  forwfyrd,  except  to  argue  on  points  of  doc- 
trine, in  themselves  of  little  moment  compared  to  the 
spirit  which  should  pervade  them?     Better,  far  better 

should  religion  never  be  spoken  of  than  become  the  sub- 
is 


146  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

ject  of  wrangling  and  violence;  for  very  few  are  the 
tempers  which  can  argue  calmly.  To  condemn,  to  scorn, 
nay,  even  to  hate,  is  but  too  often  the  effect  of  religious 
argument;  and  the  whisperings  of  piety  are  lost,  they 
are  too  faint,  too  spiritual,  to  breathe  amid  such  stormy 
scenes;  and  charity,  universal  benevolence,  and  love,  the 
touchstone  by  which  true  holiness  is  tried  and  proved, 
how  may  they  exist  in  argument  where  contempt  is  in 
general  so  thinly  veiled?  The  Christian  boasts  of  his 
charity ;  but  far  more  should  it  be  the  watchword  of  the 
Jew.  The  handmaid  of  piety  she  is  indeed,  and  with  the 
sincere  and  lowly  professor  of  either  creed  she  is  ever 
found;  but  to  the  nominal  religionist*  she  is  a  word  un- 
known. 

To  be  convinced  of  the  truth  of  his  religion,  so  as  to 
be  ever  ready  to  defend  it  when  called  upon,  is  the 
bounden  duty  of  every  Hebrew;  but  to  converse  of  the 
Law  means  not  to  enter  unchallenged  on  the  trackless 
field  of  religious  argument.  We  have  been  previously 
commanded  to  love  the  Lord ;  to  let  His  words  be  upon 
our  hearts;  to  teach  them  to  our  children;  and  then  to 
give  such  thoughts  vent  in  the  sweet  communion  of 
home.  Were  mental  meditations  never  spoken,  human 
nature  is  such  that  they  would  either  fade  and  die,  or, 
finding  a  contrary  extreme,  become  so  intense  and  con- 
tinual, that  the  mind  would  at  length  revolt  from  their 
contemplation,  harassed  and  exhausted. 

Conversation  strengthens  thought;  and  yet  prevents 

*  If  this  is  universally  admitted,  how  small  a  number  of  truly  reli- 
gious can  then  be  found  among  the  Christians !  The  idea  of  charity  is 
not  by  them  extended  to  the  Jews,  and  th^  truly  orthodox  do  not 
admit  that  one  who  believes  not  in  an  atonement  through  a  divine 
personage  can  be  a  child  of  salvation. — We  have  our  faults,  faults  too 
glaring  to  be  concealed ;  but  our  neighbours  have  equally  many  to 
answer  for. — I.  L, 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  147 

the  mind  from  wearying.  Individual  sentiments  are  im- 
parted, and  others  are  received  in  return.  New  ideas 
are  thus  given,  and  they  at  once  refresh  the  mind,  and 
prepare  new  matter  for  reflection. 

We  are  not  to  attend  to  the  very  letter*  of  the  Law 
and  speak  of  God  at  the  times  specified ;  but  simply  that 
our  thoughts  and  love  for  Him  are  to  be  warmed,  re- 
vived, and  strengthened  by  means  of  conversation  one 
with  another ;  not  on  His  word  alone,  but  on  His  works, 
His  providence,  His  love. 

Nor  is  this  conversation  intended  to  take  the  place  of 
real  consoling  piety.  It  must  spring  from  an  overflowing 
heart,  not  consist  in  eloquent  words,  which  have  no  rest- 
ing save  on  air.  It  is  to  relieve  the  overcharged  heart, 
not  puff  it  up  with  pride.  When  well-selected  words 
flow  glibly  from  eager  lips,  and  an  ardent  eloquence  ap- 
pears to  bear  all  its  hearers  along  with  it :  the  spirit  is 
ready  to  condemn  others,  as  far  its  inferiors  in  religious 
fervour,  simply  because  they  cannot  speak  so  well;  and 
yet,  while  the  lips  may  speak  so  piously  and  well,  the 
heart  may  remain  stubborn  and  unmoved. 

That  religion  is  often  only  too  questionable,  which  can 
speak  its  sentiment,  can  converse  eloquently  on  such 
holy  things  to  strangers,  or  in  every  mixed  society  in 
which  it  may  be  thrown.  That  which  we  hold  dearer 
than  life  itself,  the  thoughts,  reflections,  feelings  of  a 
truly  pious  heart  which  have  been  cherished  so  long 
and  so  closely,  that  they  can  be  scarcely  traced  to  their 
source,  are  painfully  difiicult  to  clothe  in  words,  except 

*  According  to  my  view  it  should  in  a  measure  be  literal.  Our 
customs  also  conform  to  this  idea;  for  the  reading  of  the  Shemang,  or 
the  subjecting  of  ourselves  in  words  to  the  heavenly  rule,  is  a  duty 
performed  thrice  every  day,  at  rising,  when  the  sun  sets,  and  wheu  we 
intrust  our  spirit  to  God  before  we  lie  down  to  sleep. — I.  L. 


148  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

to  those  beloved  ones  to  whom  the  heart  is  ever  open. 
They  shrink  from  the  pain  of  misconception;  ihey  are 
felt  as  too  pure,  too  holy,  too  ethereal  to  be  exposed  to 
the  rude  breath  of  a  world;  and  so  closely  are  they  en- 
twined round  the  fibres  of  the  heart,  that  the  eye  of  af- 
fection alone  may  see,  the  ear  of  love  alone  receive  them. 
Nor  would  the  command  we  are  considering  unclasp 
with  a  rude  hand  these  precious  links  which  bind  man 
unto  his  Maker.  It  refers  but  to  the  communinsj  at  home, 
the  intercourse  with  our  domestic  circle,  with  our  dear- 
est, most  intimate  companions. 

Precious  is  that  friendship  whose  supporting  link  is 
a  mutual  love  of  God.  The  pure  happiness  of  affection, 
the  consolations  of  sympathy  and  confidence,  are  His 
gifts,  and  if  felt  as  such,  there  will  naturally  arise  some 
moments  when  the  surcharged  heart  must  speak  of  its 
God.  Then  indeed  might  its  conversation  be  devoid  of 
that  argumentative  spirit  which  would  condemn.  Inno- 
cently, gratefully,  how  continually  might  w^e  speak  of 
Him;  how  many  new  ideas  might  be  imparted;  how 
many  passing  reflections  strengthened  and  improved. 
Were  the  word  of  our  God,  and  works  relating  to  and 
pleasantly  elucidating  it,  amongst  the  mutual  studies  of 
intimate  minds:  how  calmly  and  blessedly  might  the 
spiritual  views  of  each  be  exalted,  the  aff"ections  of  each 
increased  in  stability  and  w^orth!  How  consolingly 
would  they  feel  the  words  of  the  inspired  minstrel :  "  To 
him.  that  ordereth  his  conversation  aright,  w^ill  I  show 
the  salvation  of  God."  But  is  it  so?  is  the  love  of  God 
indeed  the  uniting  link  of  friendship  ?  Is  not  such  con- 
versation only  too  often,  alas !  banished  as  entirely  from 
the  intercourse  of  friends  as  from  strangers?  It  is  a 
peculiar  pleasure  to  some  to  read  the  same  books,  to 
compare  notes  on  mutual  studies,  to  find  the  opinions  of 


THE  SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM.  149 

those  they  love  agree  with  their  own;  and  oh!  how 
much  that  pleasure  is  enhanced  when  the  same  affection 
is  borne  towards  that  sacred  book,  in  which  simple 
pathos,  eloquent  narration,  descriptive  beauty,  inspired 
poetry — all — all,  are  combined  to  mark  it  as  a  thing 
apart,  a  book  like  which  there  is  no  other !  What  in- 
exhaustible food  for  reflection  does  it  contain  1  What 
mutual  comfort,  mutual  hope  does  it  bestow ! 

There  are  few  words  more  abused  than  that  of-  friend- 
ship. Connections  of  pleasure,  of  frivolity,  of  interest, 
deserve  not  the  name.  Intended  to  be  the  union  of  im- 
mortal spirits  whose  affections  die  not  even  when  earthly 
love  is  over,  what  can  be  so  likely  to  purify  and  cement 
that  love  as  a  mutual  reverence  for  and  belief  in  a  God 
of  love,  and  in  the  sacred  nature  of  His  word  ?  Friend- 
ship is  the  only  earthly  tie  which  can  exist  in  purity  and 
warmth,  even  if  the  actual  creeds  should  differ.  If  the 
same  spirit  of  religion,  the  same  deep  reverence  for  the 
word  of  God,  the  same  strivings  after  righteousness,  and 
desire  to  do  His  will  in  all  things  however  contrary  to 
our  own,  the  same  trust  in  His  deep  love  and  redeeming 
mercy  actuate  the  heart :  it  matters  not  that  in  actual 
belief  we  may  not  think  alike.  Often,  very  often  does 
it  happen  that  a  sincere  and  heartfelt  follower  of  one 
creed  finds  a  deeper,  dearer  answer  to  his  secret  feelings 
of  piety  and  love  in  the  heart  of  one  equally  devoted  to 
his  own  peculiar  religion,  than  is  ever  granted  to  him 
among  his  own ;  and  there  may  be  many  opportunities 
for  that  pleasant  communing  which  friends  so  love,  on 
the  word,  and  works,  and  love,  and  providence  of  a 
mutual  Father :  and  yet  there  need  not  be  one  syllable 
of  argument  to  disturb  their  harmony  or  to  diminish  the 
affection  of  either. 

It  is  not  so  with  the  ties  of  love.    Unhappy  is  that 

13* 


150  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

union  which  cannot  join  heart  and  hand  in  the  relio;ious 
education  of  their  children;  which  sees  the  father  pur- 
suing one  path  and  the  mother  another;  which  causes 
every  infant  treasure  to  be  hailed  with  a  sigh  instead  of 
a  smile,  and  generally  ends  in  bitterness  and  strife,  and 
causes  that  the  offspring  of  such  unions  know  not  re- 
velation, follow  not  the  belief  of  either  parent,  knowing 
perhaps  there  is  a  God,  but  not  His  attributes.  Oh  ! 
such  a* union  is  indeed  an  awful  curse,  bringing  with  it 
neither  the  happiness  of  earth  nor  the  hope  of  heaven. 
How  may  those,  who  have  thus  thoughtlessly  taken  upon 
them  the  marriage  vow,  or  wilfully  dared  the  evils  attend- 
ant upon  it,  answer  at  the  footstool  of  an  offended  God, 
for  the  immortal  spirits  committed  to  their  charge?  No, 
the  same  spirit — the  same  form — the  same  private  and 
the  same  public  worship,  must  be  the  links  of  love,  or  it 
will  prove  but  perishable  joy. 

The  friendship  of  David  and  Jonathan  is  an  exquisite 
trait  of  nature  and  character  in  the  eventful  life  of  the 
minstrel  king.  There  is  a  devotedness,  an  unselfishness 
in  the  affection  of  Jonathan,  that  must  excite  the  warmest 
feelings  of  the  heart  towards  him.  He  knew  that  David 
was  destined  to  be  the  instrument  of  the  Lord  in  remov- 
ing his  father  and  himself  from  the  throne;  that  David's 
preservation  and  success  preceded  the  downfall  of  Saul's 
house;  and  yet  he  loved  him  still,  ay,  risked  his  own 
life  and  his  favour  with  his  father,  to  warn  and  save  the 
friend  he  loved.  What  can  more  emphatically  describe 
the  strong  affection  of  the  young  prince,  suddenly  excited 
as  it  was,  than  the  simple  words  of  Holy  Writ,  ''  When 
he  (David)  had  made  an  end  of  speaking  unto  Saul,  that 
the  soul  of  Jonathan  7vas  knit  with  the  soul  of  David, 
and  Jonathan  loved  David  as  his  own  soul"?  No  jeal- 
ousy, no  petty  meanness  clouded  the  exalted  nature  of 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  151 

this  love;  Jonathan  was  himself  a  warrior  of  no  mean  re- 
pute, beloved  by  all  bis  father's  subjects;  how  few  thus 
situated  would  have  so  directly  and  so  earnestly  loved 
the  unknown  shepherd-boy,  whose  extraordinary  deed  of 
valour  so  suddenly  eclipsed  his  own,  and  who  bade  fair 
to  more  than  rival  him  in  the  affections  of  the  people, 
and  was  destined  by  the  Lord  even  to  supplant  him  on 
the  throne  ?  Little  as  we  know  of  him,  there  are  few 
characters  more  intrinsically  beautiful  than  that  of  Jona- 
than ;  and  well  did  David  know  how  to  appreciate  his 
virtues  and  love  in  return.  Surely  Solomon  thought  of 
this  immortal  friendship,  when  he  wrote:  ''A  friend 
loveth  at  all  times;"  ''There  is  a  friend  that  sticketh 
closer  than  a  brother;"  "Faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a 
friend;"  "Thine  own  friend,  and  thy  father's  friend  for- 
sake not;"  "As  iron  sharpeneth  iron,  so  a  man  sharpen- 
eth  the  countenance  of  his  friend,"  meaning  that  as  iron 
by  close  friction  sharpeneth  iron,  so  the  mutual  conver- 
sation of  friends  sharpeneth  or  improveth  their  intellect- 
ual faculties,  by  bestowing  on  each  the  ideas  of  the  other. 
And  in  what  is  improvement  so  desirable  as  in  the  love 
and  knowledge  of  our  God  ?  When  the  spirit  of  piety  is 
the  supporting  link  of  human  ties,  death  loses  half  his 
terrors ;  for  then  we  feel  and  know  that  love  is  not  con- 
fined to  this  world  alone.  Death,  though  it  may  divide 
us  a  while,  will  prove,  in  the  end,  the  commencement  of 
eternal  love.  The  same  hopes,  the  same  spiritual  de- 
sires, the  same  hol^  spirit  which  pervaded  our  inter- 
course in  this  nether  world,  will  obtain  perfection  in  the 
next ;  and  love,  purer,  brighter,  unchilled  by  doubt,  un- 
checked by  those  petty  trials  and  alloys,  which  harass 
even  the  purest  friendship  here — love,  immutable  and 
blessed,  will  await  our  souls  on  high. 

But  may  we  hope,  that  such  will  be  .the  termination 


152  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

of  connections  made  for  earthly  pleasures  ?  for  frivolous 
amusements  ?  for  improvement  only  of  the  mind  and 
talents,  in  which  there  mingles  not  one  thought  of  Him 
who  gave  them,  and  who  demands  to  be  remembered  and 
loved  ?  Yet,  all  and  each  of  these  is  dignified  by  the 
term  friendship^  Alas !  they  are  but  perishable  flowers, 
sweet  for  the  time,  but  whose  fading  blossoms  are  only 
wreathed  for  earth.  And  should  not  this  awful  con- 
sideration deter  us  from  forming  connections,  either  in 
love  or  friendship,  with  those  who  know  not,  seek  not 
to  know  God,  though  fascinating  may  be  their  outward 
attractions,  their  intrinsic  virtues  ?  The  more  we  love 
below,  the  more  dreadful  must  be  the  thought  of  death, 
if  we  may  not  hope  to  meet  hereafter.  And  if  the  love 
of  God  exist  not  in  our  dearest  and  most  intimate 
connections :  how  is  that  verse  of  the  Sbemang  to  be 
obeyed,  which  commands  us  not  only  to  teach  His  words 
to  our  children,  but  to  speak  of  them  continually  to  one 
another  ? 

And  yet  it  is  easy  to  do  this.  The  works  of  the  Lord 
are  in  truth  inexhaustible;  His  providence  is  daily 
shown  around  us,  to  ourselves,  our  friends,  in  events  con- 
tinually recurring.  And  when  we  see  not  His  hand  iu 
all  things,  it  is  because  we  will  not  see  it.  How  many  love 
to  speak  of  chance,  and  fortune,  and  fate ;  and  yet  re- 
ject with  scorn  the  belief,  that  nothing  can  occur  below 
without  the  permission  of  the  Eternal,  who,  without 
interfering  with  the  free-will  of  5is  creatures,  makes 
all  things  tend  to  His  wise  though  secret  government 
above.  To  explain  this  apparent  contradiction  is  not  in 
the  power  of  man ;  it  is  a  belief  which  can  only  be  felt  ; 
yet  blessed  in  very  truth  are  those  to  whom  it  is  vouch- 
safed. Those  who  believe  it  not,  can  scarcely  love  their 
God,  can  scarcely  dare  address  Him ;  for  if  the  affairs  of 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  153 

earth  are  wholly  divided  from  the  economy  of  Heaven, 
if  all  events  depend  on  man,  and  not  on  God:  we  can- 
not feel  that  we  are  each  and  all  individual  objects  of 
His  care  ;  we  cannot  be  soothed  in  sorrow  by  the  thought, 
it  is  a  Father's  will,  and  His  will  is  love.  The  fatalist, 
and  he  who  denies  the  ever-active  providence  of  God, 
are  alike  fettered  by  invisible  yet  not  the  less  painful 
chains ;  and  to  neither*  of  these  can  the  hopes  and  ordi- 
nances of  religion  refer. 

There  is  scarcely  any  profane  history  which,  if  read 
attentively,  will  not  afford  matter  for  instruction,  thought, 
and  subsequent  conversation  on  the  wonderful  providence 
of  the  Lord.  Here  events  can  be  traced  from  their  very 
embryo  to  their  final  completion,  either  in  success  or 
overthrow.  The  airy  trifles,  so  often  the  hinges  on 
which  great  events  turn,  the  almost  invisible  seeds  of 
mighty  revolutions,  stand  revealed  on  the  pages  of  his- 
tory, and  if  properly  considered  often  serve  as  keys  to 
the  continual  incongruities  passing  around  us.  "  The 
history  of  human  affairs,"  an  intelligent  author  observes, 
''  is  but  the  history  of  Divine  Providence  ;"t  and  the  re- 
mark is  perfectly  correct.  Did  the  spirit  of  piety  per- 
vade, as  was  intended,  the  intellect,  those  very  works 

*  To  the  thinking  mind,  it  is  a  matter  of  astonishment  how  any  one 
can  deny  an  overruling  Providence.  If  any  thing  could  grow  by 
chance,  if  any  event  could  occur  without  plan  or  arrangement,  then 
indeed  the  unbeliever  might  find  support  for  his  doubt.  But  is  there 
anything  without  an  origin?  Besides,  do  his  doubts  remove  him  from 
the  operation  of  the  chance,  luck  or  fortune  he  speaks  of?  Surely 
there  is  hope,  and  life,  and  consolation  in  the  belief,  in  the  acknow- 
ledgment that  there  is  a  Being,  high  and  holy,  who  knows  all  our 
deeds,  measures  all  our  steps,  and  grants  us  that  success  only  which  is 
best  for  our  ultimate  happiness. — I.  L. 

f  Bigland.  His  Letters  on  Ancient  and  Modern  History  clearly  and 
forcibly  illustrate  the  truth  of  his  remark. 


154  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

read  for  profane  instruction  would  assist  to  promote 
obedience  to  the  command  we  are  re^ardino;. 

Nor  is  it  only  history  that  may  do  this.  There  are 
tales,  simple,  domestic,  highly  moral  tales,  which,  though 
as  a  whole  fictitious,  are  in  the  main  point  but  narrations 
of  what,  could  we  but  lift  up  the  veil  of  the  world,  is 
continually  passing  around  us.  "  Truth  is  strange, 
stranger  than  fiction;"  and  were  this  fact  more  con- 
sidered, the  very  tales  read  for  recreation  and  enjoyment 
might  be  made  of  service  in  the  promotion  of  piety. 
There  are  many  who  deem  the  perusal  of  such  works 
but  mere  waste  of  time  and  intellect,  creating  evils  even 
worse,  in  filling  the  mind  with  romance  and  folly.  Nay, 
so  far  is  this  mistaken  prejudice  extended,  that  all  books 
but  those  of  instruction  either  in  history,  geography, 
arts,  or  sciences,  are  excluded  from  the  child's  library. 
The  infant  mind  is  crammed,  its  intellect  exhausted, 
while  the  moral  training  and  the  guidance  of  the  feel- 
ings are  left  to  their  own  discretion,  instead  of  permit- 
ting them  to  expand,  in  admiration  of  the  good  and 
detestation  of  the  bad,  whose  actions  and  feelings  are 
recorded  in  tales*  relative  to  children  of  their  own  age. 

It  is  the  same  with  youth.  Formerly,  indeed,  light 
works  were  not  fitted  either  to  attract  the  eye  or  engage 
the  heart;  and  there  are  very  many  now,  too  many  alas  ! 
far  more  likely  to  produce  evil  than  good.  Yet  while 
England  may  boast  the  names  of  Edgeworth,  Hemans, 
Hall,  Mitford,  Ellis,  Sinclair,  Ferrier,  Opie.  and  Howitt, 


*  Miss  Aguilar  is  right  in  the  main  regarding  the  usefulness  of  tales 
properly  told.  But  Id  permitting  such  works  to  be  placed  in  the  hands 
of  children,  especially  in  our  novel,  romance,  and  story-writing  age, 
great  care  must  absolutely  be  exercised  in  the  selection,  so  that  no  dis- 
torted or  extravagant  view  of  life  be  early  implanted  in  the  youthful 
mind. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  155 

amongst  her  female  literati,  and  Scott,  and  James,  and 
Fay,  to  swell  the  brilliant  list,  the  young  can  never  be 
in  want  of  recreation  at  once  as  improving  to  the  heart, 
as  delightful  to  the  fancy;  and  if  the  mind  has  been 
properly  trained,  the  spirit  of  piety  indelibly  infused, 
even  the  perusal  of  such  works  will  strengthen  and  im- 
prove it. 

Few  will  believe  this :  a  fanciful  hypothesis  it  will  in 
all  probability  be  deemed;  yet  it  is  nevertheless  true,  as 
a  reference  to  those  whose  minds  have  not  been  cultivated 
alone,  but  regulated,  and  are  ever  under  the  guiding 
influence  of  a  spirit  not  of  earth,  would  prove.  To  them 
it  is  not  the  romance  and  sentiment  which  are  alone 
devoured  and  treasured  up  and  thought  upon,  to  the  for- 
getfulness  of  all  the  rest.  The  same  tale  perused  by  the 
pupils  of  diverse  schools,  would  be  productive  of  com- 
pletely opposite  effects.  They  who  have  been  taught  to 
drown  all  feeling,  to  conceal  every  emotion,  to  contemn 
as  romance  and  folly  every  exalted  sentiment,  will  be 
the  very  minds  to  which  such  food  will  bring  evil  instead 
of  good;  for  they  will  seek  in  the  pages  of  fiction  the 
indulgence  of  all  those  whisperings  of  romance  and  high- 
flown  sentiment  which  has  become  the  stronger,  from  its 
being  ever  kept  restrained  and  concealed.  They  condemn 
as  vapid  and  dry,  or  as  saintly  sermons,  all  that  w^ould 
speak  of  morality  and  piety;  they  seek  for  no  moral, 
laugh  at  the  notion  of  good  being  derived  from  such 
works,  and  as  a  necessary  consequence  derive  none; 
and  their  mind,  becoming  palled  from  such  a  continued 
succession  of  sweets  and  excitement,  at  length  rejects  all 
other  food. 

Very  different  is  the  effect  of  such  pleasant  recreation 
on  minds  which,  educated  in  the  school  of  piety,  and  of 
feelings,  regulated  not  contemned,  are  ever  accustomed 


156  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

to  seek  for  the  good,  to  cull  flowers  where  others  may 
see  but  weeds.  They  deem  it  no  sin  to  trace  the  opera- 
tions of  an  ever-acting  Providence,  even  in  the  events 
recorded  as  fictitious  tales.  They  know  that  the  cause 
of  seeming  incongruity  and  mystery  in  human  affairs 
only  originates  in  our  being  unable  to  trace  them  from 
their  commencement  to  their  completion,  from  the  num- 
ber of  years  they  take  in  their  fulfilment;  while  those 
more  striking  events,  which  chiefly  form  the  basis  of 
tales,  generally  pass  unnoticed  in  real  life,  from  the  mul- 
tiplicity and  confusion  ever  attendant  on  human  affairs. 
In  a  well-narrated  tale,  these  obstructions  to  the  tracing 
of  providence  are  removed.  Sorrows,  proceeding  from 
ill-regulated  or  irreligious  minds,  are  traced  to  their 
source.  Virtue  and  vice  stand  more  strongly  drawn  be- 
fore us,  than  they  ever  can  be  in  life.  Our  own  faults 
or  weaknesses  frequently  strike  the  mind,  by  their  re- 
flection on  the  pages  which  we  read.  Humility  is  fre- 
quently strengthened  by  the  contrast  the  well-guided 
heart  discovers  between  itself  and  those  whose  actions 
excite  our  admiration  and  love;  for  it  does  not  drown  the 
still  small  voice  by  the  common  excuse  for  evil,  that 
perfection  is  only  found  in  books;  it  knows  that  often, 
unsuspected  and  unseen,  yet  more  exalted  virtue  dwells 
on  earth  than  ever  fiction  can  portray;  and  when  it 
dwells  on  faults  and  passion  falling  before  temptation, 
led  astray  by  pleasure  and  success,  it  is  often  led  to  look 
within  itself,  and  silently  and  voicelessly  send  up  the 
prayer  for  grace  and  strength,  not  to  stumble  through 
the  like  means. 

And  thus,  can  it  be  considered  impious  and  profane 
to  render  recreative  reading  subservient  to  the  cause 
of  piety?  to  the  immortal  interests  of  the  soul?  will  it 
not  rather  lead  the  youthful  student  to  look  yet  more 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  157 

diligently  within  his  own  heart,  and  prepare  his  mind  to 
recognise  in  a  measure  the  ever-acting  Providence  which 
guides  and  governs  the  actions  alike  of  individuals  and 
those  of  the  whole  universe  around  him? 

There  are  others  again  who,  continually  eulogizing 
Nature,  yet  never  seem  to  cast  a  thought,  or  speak  a 
word  of  God.  E^apturous  are  the  exclamations  about 
the  beauty  of  the  works  of  Nature;  of  the  delights  at- 
tendant on  gathering  wild  flowers,  in  preference  to  those 
of  the  garden,  because  planted  by  the  hand  of  Nature; 
on  walking  forth  amidst  an  uncultured  country,  to  watch 
Nature  in  her  changeful  dress,  and  w^oo  her  undisturbed. 
And  refreshing  and  delicious  in  very  truth  are  such  feel- 
ings, infinitely  preferable  to  the  pleasures  of  the  world. 
Yet  might  they  be  exalted  into  sentiments  more  glorious, 
more  rejoicing  still.  The  mind  thus  capable  of  admiring 
Nature  for  herself,  is  peculiarly  fitted  to  adore  and  love 
her  God.  Nature  is  not  in  herself  a  deity.  She  is  the 
frame,  not  the  Framer,  the  created,  not  the  Creator, — 

"Nature  is  but  the  name  for  an  effect 
Whose  cause  is  God;" 

and  while  we  gaze  with  rapture  on  her  varied  scenes,  on 
her  glorious  beauties,  may  ^e  not  literally  and  figura- 
tively obey  the  mandate  that  bade  us  speak  of  our  Father, 
''When  thou  walkest  by  the  way"?  Was  it  not  at  His 
nod  this  world  of  loveliness  arose  from  a  dark,  impene- 
trable chaos?  And  well  may  nature  be  deemed  His 
temple, — the  sanctuary — in  which  we  can  worship  with 
the  greatest  fervour;  for  on  all  sides  we  behold  but  the 
work  of  His  hands,  from  the  tiniest  flower  smiling  at 
our  feet,  to  the  towering  mountain  which  raises  its 
rugged  sides  on  high  till  its  head  is  veiled  in  overhang- 
ing clouds ;  from  the  silvery  rill,  that  ripples  softly  and 

14 


158  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

refreshingly  between  the  green  and  flowery  banks,  to  the 
vast  and  boundless  ocean  whose  depth  we  cannot  fathom, 
nor  its  tumbling  waves  enchain.  These  are  indeed  scenes 
which  compel  us  to  think  of  the  Eternal,  to  behold  Him 
in  His  works;  and  if  our  companion  be  one  bound  to  us 
by  the  magic  ties  of  sympathy  and  love,  or  the  parent 
from  whose  lips  we  have  first  learnt  to  know  Nature  as 
she  is,  or  the  child  to  whom  we  would  reveal  her  mys- 
teries and  lead  up  to  her  Creator:  to  each,  to  all,  might 
we  relieve  the  swelling  heart,  and  speak  of  Him  on  wdiose 
glorious  works  we  gaze.  Delightful  as  are  the  emotions 
with  which  we  look  on  Nature  for  herself,  they  are  tame, 
and  cold,  and  lifeless  to  those  which  elevate  and  purify 
the  soul  when  it  looks 

•'  Through  Nature  up  to  Nature's  God." 

The  aQ:e  of  miracles  is  considered  over.  Those  extra- 
ordinary  manifestations  of  Divine  providence  towards 
the  children  of  Israel  are  indeed  past;  for  the  first-born 
of  the  Lord  is  yet  an  exile,  till  penitence  and  amendment 
shall  appease  the  anger  of  his  merciful  Father,  and  He 
our  God  may  indulge  those  yearnings  of  love  and  tender 
pity  towards  His  son  of  which  His  book  assures  us. 
"  But  that  the  sun  has  shone  unremittingly  from  the  day 
that  God  created  him,  is  not  a  less  stupendous  exertion 
of  power  than  that  the  Hand,  which  fixed  him  in  the 
heavens  and  marked  out  his  progress  through  them, 
should  once  say  by  his  servant,  'Sun,  stand  thou  still 
upon  Gibeon;'  that  he  has  gone  on  his  uninterrupted 
career,  and  rejoicing  as  a  giant  to  run  his  course  for  six 
thousand  years,  is  a  far  more  astonishing  exhibition  of 
omnipotence  than  that  he  should  have  been  once  sus- 
pended by  the  Hand  that  first  set  him  in  motion."* 

*  Hannah  Mere's  Spirit  of  Prayer,  chap.  iii.  p.  28. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  159 

And  thus,  tliat  the  boundless  ocean  which  surrounds 
us  should  continue  as  unchanged  in  motion  as  when  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  "gathered  the  waters  in  one  place  and 
the  dry  land  appeared,"  is  even  yet  more  wonderful  than 
the  dividing  of  the  Pved  Sea  or  the  passage  of  the  Jordan. 
But  these  things,  even  as  the  blessings  of  individual  lives, 
are  unperceived  and  unacknowledged,  because  they  are 
constant.  They  continually  surround  us,  and  we  there- 
fore see  not  their  magnitude.  Day  giveth  place  to  day, 
and  night  to  night;  the  tides  of  ocean  ebb  and  flow;  the 
planets  float  along  the  sky;  the  stars  remain  suspended 
in  their  orbits;  but  we  notice  not  these  things,  or  if  we 
do,  it  is  but  to  observe  "  they  are  the  laws  of  Nature," 
and  to  laugh  at  the  idea  of  deeming  such  common  things 
miraculous. 

Yet,  what  is  the  precise  definition  of  a  miracle?  "An 
effect  above  human  or  natural  power,  performed  in  at- 
testation of  some  truth."  Can  human  power  create  a 
sun?  or  bid  the  waves  roll  on  in  their  unchanging 
course?  Can  human  power  create  darkness?  or  com- 
mand night  to  descend  or  day  to  appear  before  their 
appointed  time?  and  what  term  we  natural  power?  are 
the  planets,  the  skies,  the  winds,  the  works  of  Nature? 
No !  whether  we  regard  Nature  as  the  compass  of  natu- 
ral existence,  the  regular  course  of  things,  or  the  state 
and  operations  of  the  material  world :  Nature  is  not  the 
cause,  but  the  efi"ect;  she  is  herself  a  miracle.  And  if 
we  are  asked,  in  attestation  of  what  truth  that  miracle 
has  been  performed?  we  answer:  of  the  most  sublime, 
the  most  important,  most  glorious  truth,  the  existence 
of  an  omnipotent,  omnipresent,  omniscient,  and  eternal 
Being — the  unanswerable  proof  that  there  is  a  God  ! 
We  have  then  even  in  things  inanimate  enough  matter 
for  contemplation,  enough  sometimes  to  converse  on,  as 


160  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

"we  are  walking  by  the  way."  Nor  shall  ^ve  fail  to  find 
a  glorious  example  of  this  holy  duty  even  in  the  Book 
of  Life. 

It  was  thus  David  meditated  on  the  Lord;  he  did  not 
only  address  Him  in  prayer  for  himself — he  magnified 
His  nature  by  the  relation  of  His  works.  Who  can 
peruse  his  rich  treasury  of  psalms,  without  feeling  how 
completely  this  exalted  monarch  associated  the  Eternal 
in  all  Llis  w^orks,  and  praised  Him,  not  only  for  indivi- 
dual mercies,  but  for  the  blessinsjs  shared  bv  the  whole 
world?  How  truly  sublime  is  the  exclamation  in  which 
he  breaks  forth:  ''Oh  Lord,  how  manifold  are  thv  works, 
in  wisdom  hast  thou  made  them  all,  the  whole  earth  is 
filled  with  thv  riches."  And  as^ain  in  what  a  beautiful 
spirit  of  humility  does  he  follow  up  the  verse:  ''When 
I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  th)^  fingers,  the 
moon  and  the  stars,  w^hich  thou  hast  ordained :  what  is 
man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him,  and  the  son  of  man 
that  thou  visitest  him?"  How  continuallv  do  w^e  find 
him  acknowledging  the  providence  of  God,  alike  in 
nature  as  in  man;  how  repeatedly  dwelling  on  the  tale 
of  Israel's  redemption,  of  mercies  shown  to  the  nation, 
returning  thanks  and  praise,  as  if  such  gracious  care 
had  been  displayed  to  him  alone.  Deeply  did  the  pro- 
phet king  feel  the  truth  of  the  inspired  strain  with 
which  a  later*  psalmist  concluded  the  cvii.  Psalm, 
"Whoso  is  wise  and  will  observe  these  things  (the  won- 
derful providence  of  the  Eternal),  even  they  shall  under- 

*  It  is  unknown  to  me  from  what  authority  Miss  A.  would  main- 
tain, that  the  last  verse  of  this  Pso.lra  is  by  a  later  writer.  This  species 
of  criticism  which  refers  parts  of  Scripture,  though  standing  together, 
to  different  hands,  is  not  approved  of  by  Israelites  in  general.  Perhaps 
Miss  A.  means  that  the  whole  Psalm  is  by  a  person  who  lived  after 
David ;  if  so,  this  would  be  a  hypothesis  more  consonant  with  our  viewa 
than  the  former. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF    JUDAISM.  161 

stand  the  loving  kindness  of  the  Lord."  How  great  a 
reward  for  the  simple  act  of  using  the  senses  and  facul- 
ties which  a  merciful  Father  had  bestowed,  in  the  con- 
templation of  His  great  works !  To  feel  the  full  force 
of  the  sentence,  it  would  be  well  to  consider  the  nature 
of  the  promised  reward. 

"  To  understand  the  loving  kindness  of  the  Lord"  needs 
no  spiritualising,  or  rather  the  charge  of  spiritualising, 
to  explain ;  it  simply  means  to  behold  the  decrees  of  the 
Lord  in  their  correct  light;  to  disperse  the  darkness 
generally  clouding  the  affairs  of  men,  by  the  golden  rays 
of  faith;  to  behold  mercy  and  love  where  others  can  only 
see  chastisement  and  misery;  to  trace  all  things  to  an 
almighty  Hand  of  love,  where  others  sink  into  despond- 
ency, reproaching  themselves  for  not  doing  better  in  the 
world,  and  envying  those  who  are  more  successful.  Li  a 
word,  it  signifies  the  attaining,  as  far  as  is  possible  in 
this  imperfect  state,  that  which  is  promised  when  the  cap- 
tivity is  at  an  end.  ''Then  shall  ye  call  upon  me,  and 
ye  shall  go  and  pray  unto  me,  and  I  will  hearken  unto 
you ;  and  ye  shall  seek  me,  and  find  me,  when  ye  search 
for  me  with  all  your  heart."  (Jerem.  xxix.  12,  13.) 
*'And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  before  they  call  I  will 
answer,  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking  I  will  hear." 
(Isa.  Ixv.  24.)  And  can  there  be  a  clearer,  more  precious 
reward?  and  shall  we  cast  it  wilfully  aside?  Oh!  even 
now  we  shall  be  heard;  God  will  be  found  if  we  seek  Him 
with  all  our  hearts;  even  now  a  foretaste  of  that  rich 
blessing  may  be  ours.  We  may  understand  the  loving 
kindness  of  the  Lord,  if  we  will  only  obey  the  precepts 
of  the  Shemang,  and  hallow  the  forms  which  were  insti- 
tuted to  keep  us  distinct  from  other  nations,  by  the  spirit 
of  piety  springing  from  the  Lord.  Form  alone  will  not 
bring  down  upon  us  this  desirable  blessing. 

14* 


162  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

Could  David  when  wandering  a  miserable  fugitive  from 
the  enmity  of  Saul  attend  to  the  ceremonials*  of  his  faith? 
and  vet  he  was  a  favoured  servant  of  the  Lord;  he  was 
in  very  truth  an  Israelite,  and  the  spirit  of  the  Hebrew 
religion  filled  his  heart.  He  loved  the  Lord,  and  the 
Lord  loved  him ;  not  for  lifeless  adherence  to  instituted 
forms,  but  because  his  heart  was  full  of  piety.  And  can 
we  find  an  example  more  w'orthy  of  imitation  than  the 
son  of  Jesse? 

Yet  the  faith  that  Moses  taught  is  accused  of  possessing 
no  comfort,  of  breathing  no  holy  spirit,  that  it  is  neither 
a  consoling  nor  a  spiritual  religion.  Shame  on  those 
Israelites  who  permit  this  reproach  to  gain  ground  with- 
out once  endeavouring  to  prove  by  deeds,  its  falsity! 
Too  often  is  it  even  permitted  to  appear  as  the  truth  by 
the  stern  and  rigid  observance  of  rites  and  ceremonies^ 
as  if  religion  consisted  in  them  alone.  There  are  some 
who  would  deem  it  a  sin  to  omit  the  repetition  of  the 
Shemang  twice  every  day:  yet  are  utterly  unconscious 
of  all  the  precepts  it  enforces,  except  the  last,  and  they 
go  on  their  way  rejoicing,  without  one  thought  of  natural 
unworthiness,  which  needs  far  more  than  the  mere  ob- 
servance of  form  to  be  w^ashed  aw^ay;  obeying,  secure  in 
supposed  righteousness,  the  laws  of  their  rehgion  which 
divide  them  from  others,  yet  mingling  in  the  world  with- 
out one  thought  of  God;  condemning  with  fierce  invec- 
tive all  those  who  think  difierently  from  themselves, 


*  Probably  he  could,  to  a  great  extent,  at  all  events.  Nevertheless, 
he  complain«  of  not  being  able  to  participate  in  all  the  duties,  as  we 
raay  judge  from  his  address  to  Saul:  "But  if  they  be  the  children  of 
men,  cursed  be  they  before  the  Lord;  for  they  have  driven  me  out  this 
day  from  abiding  in  the  inheritance  of  the  Lord,  saying.  Go,  serve 
other  gods."  (lSam.xxvi.l9.)  Did  David  then  think  ceremonies  essen- 
tial or  not? — L  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM, 

casing  up  their  hearts  in  the  icy  bondage  of  form,  with- 
out permitting  one  gleam  of  comfort,  one  spark  of  holy 
fire  to  enter  therein,  which,  drawing  them  nearer  to  their 
universal  Father,  would  render  them  more  charitable  to 
their  fellow-creatures.* 

Yet  such  men,  when  they  come  to  die,  have  found  no 
comfort.  And  can  we  then  wonder  at  the  reproach  cast 
upon  the  Jewish  faith  ?  Is  it  strange  the  Christian  should 
'believe  his  religion  the  right,  and  look  down  with  scorn 
or  pity  on  such  followers  of  Israel?  Is  it  strange  that, 
when  they  see  the  Hebrew  religion  of  the  present  day  so 
different  from  that  which  David  practised,  and  Moses  and 
the  prophets  taught,  they  should  believe  the  one  a  type 
of  their  saviour,  the  other,  as  more  regarding  themselves 
than  us  ?  Oh  that  Israel  would  awake  from  their  le- 
thargy, and  prove  there  is  a  holy  spirit  in  the  Hebrew 
faith.  David  was  a  Jew :  and  if  his  religion  were  not 
spiritual,  whence  did  he  derive  comfort  in  his  life  of 
trial  ?  Every  prophet  was  a  Jew :  and  how  comes  it;  if 
the  Christian  religion  alone  possess  holy  fire,  that  the 
prophetic  spirit  should  so  entirely  have  ceased  ?  If  there 
be  no  hope,  no  comfort,  no  faith  in  immortality  in  the 
religion  of  Israel:  what  supported  the  Hebrew  martyrs 
in  the  hour  of  torture  and  death,  and  enabled  them  to 
die  as  rejoicingly  upon  the  stake,  as  those  Christian 
sufferers  who  have  so  often  been  held  up  as  the  wit- 
nesses of  the  hope  and  comfort  of  their  faith?  No;  it  is 
not  the  faith  of  Moses  which  is  at  fault,  it  is  the  morbid 
state  of  many  who  bear  its  name !    The  Eternal  in  mercy 

*  There  are  in  all  probability  some  few  such  bigots  amongst  ns ;  but 
our  forms  are  not  to  be  charged  with  their  wrong-doing ;  nor  are  Eab- 
bins  responsible  therefore,  because  their  doctrines  enforce  the  religion 
of  the  heart;  they  teach:  "As  we  bless  God  for  the  good,  so  ought  we 
io  bless  Him  in  evil."     Is  this  an  icy,  unfeeling  worship? — I.  L. 


164  THE   SPIRIT  OF   JUDAISM. 

has  permitted  peace  to  descend  upon  us.  He  tried  us 
in  the  ordeal  of  persecution,  and  He  saw  our  love  and 
faith  were  strong;  we  clung  yet  closer  and  closer  unto 
Him,  and  the  spirit  was  purified,  even  as  the  difficulty 
of  adhering  to  form  increased.  And  then  He  would  try 
us  in  the  far  more  dangerous  ordeal  of  prosperity  and 
peace.  And  oh !  are  we  not  found  wanting  ?  are  we  not 
torn  by  inward  dissension,  because  with  the  nations  we 
are  at  peace?  are  not  party  spirit  and  all  its  attendant* 
evils  filling  up  those  hearts,  which  would  seek  only  the 
glory  of  God,  the  amendment  of  their  own  ways  and  of 
those  committed  to  their  especial  charge?  While  this 
state  exists,  can  we  ever  hope  for  the  advent  of  God's 
Anointed,  the  accomplishment  of  those  glorious  promises, 
which  await  the  repentant?  No;  while  with  the  sicken- 
ing anguish  of  hope  deferred,  we  behold  years  roll  on, 
and  there  seemeth  no  end  to  our  captivity:  instead  of 
failing  in  trust,  did  we  look  into  our  hearts  and  behold 
their  iniquity,  wonder  would  be  at  an  end ;  or  if  we  did 
wonder,  it  would  be  at  that  infinite,  that  inexhaustible 
mercy  which  yet  keeps  us  alive,  yet  guards,  preserves, 
and  blesses  us,  despite  of  that  sinful  ingratitude,  that 
complete  departure  from  the  spirit  of  Judaism  which, 
were  it  not  for  that  promised  mercy,  would  of  necessity 
condemn  us  to  annihilation. 

There  is  yet  another  way  of  obeying  the  command 
contained  in  the  second  member  of  the  verse  we  are  con- 
sidering— one  that  can  meet  with  no  objection,  even  from 
those  who,  advocates  for  the  very  letter  of.  the  law,  may 
believe  we  have  enlarged  on  it,  more  than  was  Moses's 
intention,  and  that  we  have  erred  in  dividing  the  verse. 
It  is  strange  that  while  so  many  rites  and  forms  have 
been  added  to  the  pure  worship  of  Moses,  and  permitted 
to  become  part  of  the  religion  without  question  or  reproof, 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  165 

notwithstanding  the  precise  command  of  the  Lord,  "Ye 
shall  Dot  add  unto  my  law,  nor  diminish  therefrom,"  the 
endeavours  to  define  and  enlarge  the  spiritual*  views  of 
the  Hebrews  are  generally  subjected  to  condemnation 
and  scorn,  as  hypocrisy  or  saintly  novelties,  for  which 
we  have  no  foundation.  Alas,  that  it  should  be  so !  that 
the  wrath  of  the  Lord  has  flung  such  a  dark  obscuring 
veil  over  the  minds  of  men,  blinding  them  to  the  deeply 
spiritual  nature  of  their  faith.  But,  if  to  think  and  speak 
of  the  Lord  at  all  times  be  to  some  minds  incompatible 
with  the  holiness  which  would  set  Him  at  a  distance,  save 
in  the  hours  of  devotion:  why  should  not  this  command 


*  I  must  confess  that  it  is  something  new  to  me  to  learn,  that  such 
could  be  the  state  of  any  part  of  the  Jewish  community.  Spiritualising 
in  the  Christian  sense  of  the  word,  that  is,  adapting  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture to  events  so  as  to  make  them  agree,  though  the  ostensible  meaning 
is  nowise  the  same,  is  confessedly  abhorrent  to  us ;  but  the  spiritualising 
of  Miss  Aguilar,  or,  the  seeking  of  a  higher  meaning  in  connection  with 
Scripture  and  ceremony,  is  by  no  means  very  rare ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
excess  of  it  has  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  Cabalah,  which  consists 
in  detecting  the  mysteries  of  the  law  in  every  word  and  every  act.  A 
remarkable  explanation  of  this  kind  is  given  of  verse  17,  Psalm  cxv. : 
"  '  The  dead  shall  not  praise  the  Lord,'  what  is  meant  by  the  dead?  the 
wicked — who  are  dead  (in  spirit)  even  whilst  living."  It  strikes  me, 
that  my  friend  has  met,  in  her  intercourse  with  society,  with  persons 
who  had  not  been  properly  educated  in  the  duties  of  the  law  of  Jacob; 
and  that  she  gives  too  much  credence,  without  sufficient  investigation, 
to  the  invectives  of  Christian  writers.  The  ignorant  amongst  us  may 
attach  more  importance  to  form  than  spirit;  but  this  is  not  the  fault 
of  our  ancient  teachers,  such  as  Maimonides,  Bechaye,  Happenini,  and 
a  host  of  others,  nor  of  the  moderns,  such  as  Mendelssohn,  Wesseli, 
Hirsch,  and  others  whom  it  is  needless  to  enumerate.  I  do  not  by  say- 
ing this  wish  to  exonerate  us  from  fault;  but  I  am  for  one  not  willing 
to  assume  more  than  comes  to  our  share. — Besides,  the  death-bed  of 
Israelites  is  full  of  hope  and  faith ;  and  many  instances  could  be  enu- 
merated, within  my  brief  experience,  of  hopeful  joy  of  the  righteous, 
and  of  confiding  repentance  of  those  who  sought  the  Lord  in  the  sin- 
cerity of  conversion  and  the  lowliness  of  a  contrite  heart. — I.  L. 


166  THE   SPiniT   OF   JUDAISM. 

find  its  obedience  in  the  morning  and  evening  public 
worship  of  a  family?  Why  is  family  devotion  so  com- 
pletely banished  from  the  Jewish  nation?  Except  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  sometimes  on  other  festivals,  when  do  we 
see  a  Hebrew  family  assembled  to  pray?  When  do  we 
see  the  father  of  a  family  read  aloud  the  prayers,  and 
take  pride  in  reading  and  explaining  the  Bible  to  his 
children?  He  may  sometimes  tell  them  the  meaning  of 
peculiar  forms;  but  is  the  Bible  made  applicable  to  their 
daily  lives !  is  its  solemn  nature,  its  ever- active  comfort, 
impressed  on  the  yielding  heart?  We  have  very  few 
opportunities*  of  joining  public  service;  and  therefore 
are  we  doubly  called  upon  to  make  the  temple  of  the 
Lord  within  our  own  domestic  hearths.  It  would  elevate 
their  religion  in  the  minds  of  our  children;  it  would 
strengthen  devout  affection  in  our  own;  we  would  be 
imparting  the  purest,  most  precious  knowledge  to  those 
dearest  to  us;  and  they  would  feel  that  employment 
indeed  sacred  and  delightful  in  which  they  felt  that  their 
parents  shared  and  sympathized. 

Why  then  should  the  Hebrew  nation  wilfully  deprive 
herself  of  what  may  be  termed  the  public  devotion  of  a 
family?  Why  should  she  break  asunder  the  link  that, 
were  it  carefully  cherished,  would  bind  the  cords  of 
domestic  affection  yet  closer  together  ?  The  youthful 
members  of  a  little  domestic  congregation  would  look 
back  with  warm  emotion,  in  after-years,  to  that  period 
when,  with  their  brothers  and  sisters,  they  thronged 
around  their  parents  to  listen  to  the  word  of  God,  and 
made  known  to  him  their  common  wants  together.  The 
companions  of  earliest  infancy,  who  have  grown  with 
them  from  childhood  into  youth,  may  be  scattered  far 

*  This  must  be-  the  fault  of  individuals,  not  of  our  system. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  167 

r 

and  wide  from  their  common  home;  but  the  remembrance 
of  that  holy  hoar  of  prayer  will  be  a  precious  link  in 
the  hearts  of  each.  Their  relis;ion  will  be  associated 
with  all  those  who  were  dearest  to  them,  and  time  will 
not  lessen  that  charm, — while  in  such  associations  reli- 
gion herself  will  attain  a  more  elevated  nature.  Early 
impressions  generally  follow  us  through  life ;  and  while 
the  infant  mind  is  filled  with  such  a  variety  of  ideas  and 
correspondent  knowledge,  why  should  religion  be  the 
only  thing  left  to  find  its  way  to  the  heart  unaided  and 
untaught  ?  Why  should  there  be  no  sweet  associations 
attached  to  religion  alone  :  when  so  many  and  varied  are 
the  flowers  with  which  the  path  of  literature  is  decked, 
so  many  sweets  from  knowledge  culled  to  tempt  the  child 
along  ?  And  family  devotion,  strengthening  and  hallow- 
ing the  lessons  of  piety  continually  received  from  a 
mother's  lips,  is  more  than  likely  to  produce  this  wished- 
for  end. 

Blessed  in  truth  are  those  parents  who  join  heart  to 
heart  and  hand  to  hand  in  the  religious  education  of  their 
children.  Even  when  the  pressing  cares  of  business  may 
interfere  with  the  father's  attendance  to  the  public  devo- 
tion of  his  family,  the  mother's  task  is  blessed ;  for  she 
feels,  though  absent,  his  spirit  recognises  the  hallowed 
hour  as  the  evening  and  morning  come  round,  and  com- 
munes with  them  still;  and  when  he  is  permitted  to 
return  to  lift  up  his  voice  in  prayer  and  thanksgiving, 
how  blessed  to  him  and  all  those  dear  ones  round  him  is 
that  sweet  hour  of  reunion — sweet  and  holy  even  as  a 
shadowy  type  of  family  reunion  in  that  world  where  the 
woe  of  parting  is  unknown ! 

But  when  this  may  not  be ;  when  the  spirit  of  piety 
finds  its  home  only  in  the  mother's  heart;  when  the  all- 
absorbing  love  of  interest  or  of  ambition  bids  the  father 


168  THE   SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM. 

forget  the  immortal  spirits  of  his  children,  and  renders 
him  careless  of  all  instruction,  save  that  which,  tending 
to  earthly  aggrandizement,  will  raise  them  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  world;  when  the  claims  of  Jerusalem  are 
forgotten,  and  he  looks  upon  himself  only  as  a  son  of  that 
land  in  which  he  is  in  reality  but  a  "stranger  and  so- 
journer, even  as  his  fathers  were,"  for  it  is  not  his  own: 
even  when  such  things  are — yet  let  not  the  mothers  in 
Israel  be  disheartened;  for  they  may  still  call  their 
children  around  them,  and  obey  the  spirit  of  the  prayer 
they  repeat  so  often.  They  may  watch  with  a  jealous 
eye  the  dawnings  of  piety  in  their  children,  and  pray /or 
and  with  them;  and  it  may  be  theirs  the  glorious  task, 
to  raise  up  a  new  and  better  race  to  support  the  falling 
temple  of  the  Lord. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    SPIRIT    AND   THE   FORMS   OF   JUDAISM   CONSIDERED 
SEPARATELY   AND   TOGETHER. 

The  concluding  verses  of  the  Shemang  bring  us  to  a 
subject  on  which,  in  the  preceding  chapters,  we  may  have 
often  been  accused  of  touching  too  lightly : — the  peculiar 
forms  and  ceremonies  of  our  religion.  The  frontlets 
and  bracelets  alluded  to  in  these  verses  were  ornaments 
peculiar  to  the  Eastern  dress ;  and  the  very  fact  of  the 
children  of  Israel  being  commanded  to  associate  the  word 
of  God  with  their  very  ornaments,  to  bind  them  upon 
their  hands  and  between  their  eyes,  and  to  go  a  little 
farther,  to  make  a  fringe  and  place  on  it  a  thread  of 
blue,  "  that  they  might  remember  the  commandments  of 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  169 

the  Lord,  and  do  them ;  that  man  might  not  seek  those 
things  which  his  heart  and  eyes  incline  after,  and  in  the 
pursuit  of  which  he  may  be  led  astray:"  all  these  direc- 
.tions,  trifling  as  they  may  seem,  are  but  unanswerable 
proofs  of  the  close  and  intimate  communion  which  man 
was  to  hold  with  his  Maker ;  proofs,  how  entirely  and 
completely  religion,  the  spirit  of  religion,  the  whisperings 
of  the  Eternal,  was  to  be  associated  with  the  actions  of 
man — to  follow  him  through  life,  to  be  bound  upon  his 
heart — not  to  be  kept  at  that  immense  distance  which  is 
by  some  deemed  the  only  way  to  retain  holiness,  for  the 
alleged  reason  that  such  frequent  communings  only 
lessen  the  trembling  awe  in  which  we  should  approach 
our  God.  It  is  not  as  a  Judge  we  are  to  behold  and 
approach  Him ;  but  as  an  ever- watchful,  ever-loving 
Father,  an  ever-faithful,  ever-sympathising  Friend,  to 
whom  we  may  pour  forth  every  sorrow,  every  joy,  our 
cares,  our  hopes,  our  wishes;  for  He  alone  can  know  the 
extent  of  their  influence  upon  our  hearts, — He  alone 
can  comfort  or  can  aid.  To  think  continually  on  all  the 
precepts  contained  in  the  preceding  verses  of  the  She- 
mang,  was  in  all  probability  the  origin  of  this  command, 
to  bind  them  on  our  hands  and  eyes,  and  place  them  on 
the  doorposts  and  gates  of  our  dwellings.  Gradually 
and  beautifully  each  verse  is  linked  into  the  other.  The 
binding  the  word  of  the  Lord  on  our  hands  and  eyes 
is  connected  w^ith  the  precept,  ''these  words  which  I 
command  thee  this  day,  shall  be  upon  thy  heart,''  refer- 
ring to  ourselves  individually;  the  other,  when  obeyed, 
aids  us  imperceptibly  in  thinking  or  speaking  of  the 
Lord  at  all  times;  for  surely  His  word  cannot  be  seen 
upon  our  gates  in  walking  out,  or  coming  in,  without  a 
thought  of  Him  who,  ''unless  He  build  the  house,  they 

15 


170  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

labour  in  vain  that  build  it,  unless  He  keep  tlie  city,  the 
watchman  waketh  but  in  vain." 

It  is  not  the  mere  obedience  to  the  letter  of  the  law, 
the  mere  adoption  of  the  ancient  dress  in  the  hour  of 
prayer,  which  will  render  our  prayers  acceptable.  Their 
purpose  is  to  aid  the  mind  in  withdrawing  itself  from  its 
mere  worldly  occupations,  to  tempt  the  Hebrew  youth  to 
seek  and  know  more  of  the  law,  a  portion  of  which  he 
bears  upon  his  brow  and  hand ;  to  employ  his  mind,  or 
intellect,  of  which  the  brow  may  be  a  significant  figure, 
in  the  study  of  that  precious  word ;  his  hands — in  those 
things  acceptable  to  his  Father  in  heaven.  "A  clean 
hand  and  a  pure  heart,"  the  frequent  repetition  of  those 
words  in  the  Holv  Scripture  is  sufficientlv  convincin";  of 
the  peculiar  meaning  attached  to  this  rite ;  and  by  study- 
ing the  will  of  the  Eternal,  the  Israelite  learns  how  to 
obey  it  so  as  to  have  a  beneficial  effect  on  his  spirit. 

Such  must  ever  be  the  intent  of  religious  ceremonies. 
They  are  given  to  aid  and  strengthen  the  spirit  of  piety, 
resting  within  this  spirit,  yet  not  to  take  its  place.  The 
Eternal  saw  the  heart  of  man,  and  knew  that,  when  i\.dam 
sinned,  the  inclinations  and  desires  of  his  children  would 
be  for  the  evil,  not  for  the  good ;  and,  therefore  that,  if 
religion  were  left  to  the  promptings  of  natural  man,  she 
would  speedily  fly  from  this  fallen  world,  and  resume  her 
native  seat  above.  That  man  therefore  who,  despite  the 
wickedness  and  heathenism  darkly  reigning  round  him, 
lifted  up  his  affections  and  his  intellects  to  his  God;  de- 
voted his  whole  soul  unto  His  bidding;  believing,  without 
question,  the  word  of  the  Eternal,  even  to  the  resigning 
of  his  only  and  darling  child, — that  man  was  peculiarly 
the  object  of  God's  love  and  care ;  for  it  was  human 
righteousness  shining  forth  clear  and  unmoved,  as  a 
bright   star   amidst   surrounding   darkness,  dispersing 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  171 

'neath  its  rays  the  clouds  of  natural  sin  and  corruption 
which  in  Abraham's  heart,  even  as  in  his  fellows,  had 
originally  birth ;  and  it  was  his  own  pure,  simple,  trust- 
ing righteousness,  w^hich  excited  the  attention,  and  called 
down  the  blessing  of  the  Lord.  And  for  this  faithful 
servant's  sake.  His  love  and  mercy  resolved  on  giving 
his  descendants  a  law  of  light,  and  life,  and  joy,  to  aid 
them  in  knowing  and  serving  Him,  in  governing  the  evil 
of  their  own  hearts,  so  that  the  better  principle,  being  the 
stronger,  might  bring  forth  good;  to  teach  them  the  God 
that  framed  and  loved  them;  to  give  them,  once  more, 
tests  of  their  obedience  and  their  love;  to  leave  them  no 
lons;er  to  their  own  ima2;ininQ;s,  but  to  set  before  them 
the  hopes  of  immortality,  veiled,  perhaps,  and  shrouded, 
yet  still  gleaming  through  the  religion  w'hich  came  to 
them  through  Moses,  softly  and  silently,  even  as  the  in- 
visible soul  breathes  through  the  every  action,  word,  and 
thought  of  man ;  we  see  it  not,  know  not  its  nature,  yet 
do  we  doubt  that  it  is  there  ?  and  even  thus  is  its  immor- 
tality the  spirit,  life,  breath,  and  glory  of  the  Mosaic 
faith. 

For  the  sake  of  Abraham  was  the  law  bestowed  upon 
his  seed,  displaying  throughout  its  whole  extent  the  com- 
passionate tenderness,  the  ever-fostering  affection  of  its 
glorious  Framer. 

The  spirit  of  piety,  that  yearning  desire  after  holy 
things,  and  clinging  love  to  God,  are  still,  even  as  in  the 
time  of  Abraham,  direct  gifts  from  the  Father  of  all ;  His 
grace*  acts  still  imperceptibly  upon  natural  man,  though 
unperceived  by  our  outward  senses ; — but  the  dictates  of 
the  law,  the  acts  of  obedience  therein  commanded,  the 


*  "  Whoever  comes  to  purify  himself  will  be  aided  from  heaven. "- 
Tahnud. 


172  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

revelation  of  the  Lord  and  of  His  glorious  attributes,  the 
numerous  aids  to  becoming  worthy  servants  in  Kis  sight, 
and  conquering  evil  propensities  by  the  clear  explanation 
of  right  and  wrong  wdiich,  through  Moses,  He  has  so  mer- 
cifully set  down : — all  these  are  now  common  to  us  all ; 
and  therefore  man's  natural  depravity  and  unenlightened 
ignorance  can  never  be  brought  forward  as  excuses  for 
sin  and  disobedience.  The  principle  of  good  within  us 
was  naturally  as  pow^erful  as  that  of  evil,  the  example  of 
our  first  father  occasioned  the  fearful  prevalence  of  the 
latter;  but  the  principle  of  good  is  not  even  now  ex- 
tinguished ;  and,  aided  by  the  strength  and  grace  of  God 
which  we  have  called  down  by  prayer,  it  is  yet  enabled 
to  conquer  the  evil,  and  walk  on  in  the  way  of  the  Lord. 
It  will  not  indeed  obtain  for  us  salvation  ;*  but  it  will  be 
pleasing  unto  our  Father,  and  incline  His  heart  merci- 
fully and  favourably  tow^ards  us. 

This  is  one  of  the  great  distinctions  between  the  He- 
brew and  Christian  creeds.  The  God  of  the  Christians 
does  need  a  saviour  and  mediator;  but  the  God  of  the 
Hebrew  needs  it  not.  They  look  on  our  beautiful  law 
as  one  of  fire  and  blood ;  that  even  when  God  gave  it  He 
knew  it  was  impossible  for  man  to  keep  it;  that  man's 
depravity  w'ould  entirely  prevent  his  obedience;  that 
all  under  the  law  are  subject  to  misery  and  curses,  are 
chained  dowm  to  a  heavy,  lifeless  weight,  to  redeem  them 
from  which  our  Father,  at  the  same  time  the  law  w-as 
framed  and  given,  resolved  on  the  holocaust  (sacrifice) 


*  Miss  A.  probably  means  that  no  acts  of  man  deserve  salvation, 
inasmuch  as  no  one  is  righteous  on  earth  who  does  good  without  sin- 
ning; nevertheless  there  is  merit  in  every  deed  done  in  honour  and 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  the  multitude  of  true  acts  of  piety  will  open 
for  us  the  way  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  make  us  partakers  of  the  joys  at 
the  right  hand  of  our  Everlasting  Father. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  173 

of  one  who  knew  not  sin,  to  take  away  the  sins  of  men, 
to  remove  the  curse  of  the  law,  and  institute  a  law  of 
love  instead  of  the  law  of  fire,  and  the  awful  dispensation 
revealed  in  the  Old  Testament. 

According  to  this  belief,  the  law  was  framed  to  be  de- 
stroyed; given  to  be  removed;  sent  as  a  curse  instead  of 
a  blessing;  and  the  descendants  of  Abraham,  instead  of 
being  peculiarly  blessed  above  all  nations,  according  to 
the  solemn  word  of  the  Lord,  must  have  been  marked 
out  from  the  very  first  as  the  objects  of  His  wrath.  But 
thetjod  of  the  Hebrew  is  a  God  of  truth,  whose  words 
fail  not,  nor  change,  in  whom  there  is  not  a  shadow  of 
turning;  and  therefore  is  it  that  we  reject  this  doctrine. 
When  so  repeatedly  we  read  words  to  this  import,  ''  My 
covenant  will  I  not  break,  nor  alter  the  thing  that  is 
gone  out  of  my  lips,"  we  dare  not  depart  from  that  cove- 
nant; for  we  know  that  it  is  to  last  to  eternity.  We 
cannot  recognise  our  God  in  the  Being  who  would  im- 
pose a  law  upon  His  people,  simply  and  solely  to  destroy 
them;  who  would  mock  us  by  unmeaning  ordinances; 
who  would  desire  obedience  when  He  knew  the  nature 
of  man  could  not  bestow  it;  who  would  fetter  instead  of 
freeing,  fetter  with  infinitely  more  oppressive  and  cruel 
bondage  than  the  chains  of  Egypt  from  which  He  had 
freed  us;  who  with  such  deep  solemnity,  such  majestic 
power,  yet  with  such  beneficence  and  tender  love,  would 
frame  a  law,  and  proclaim  it  eternal,  yet  at  the  same 
moment  fix  the  period  of  its  continuance  and  look  to  its 
annihilation.  We  cannot  recognise  the  God  of  truth  and 
love  in  one  that  would  act  thus.  There  is  not  one  por- 
tion of  that  law  which,  when  it  was  given,  man  could  not 
obey;  not  one  command,  one  ordinance,  to  which  man 
could  not  implicitly  adhere; — and  that  man  fell  from 
it  was  not  the  fault  of  the  law  or  the  ordinance  of  the 

15* 


174  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

Eternal.  The  law,  as  we  have  before  said,  was  given  to 
teach  man  his  duties,  to  assist  him  in  conquering  natural 
depravity,  and  permitting  the  principle  of  good,  also 
placed  within  him,  to  obtain  ascendency.  He  had  thus 
the  free  will  to  choose  his  own  path,  to  seek  the  favour 
of  his  God,  or  to  reject  it;  and  that  he  chose  the  latter 
was  not  because  he  had  not  the  power  to  choose  the 
former,  or  that  he  could  not  obey  the  law;  but  because, 
like  Cain,  he  loved  the  evil  more  than  the  good,  and  re- 
sisted the  still  small  voice  which  the  love  of  our  God  has 
placed  within  every  breast,  resisted  its  entreaty  to  fly 
from  temptation,  and  implore  the  infused  strength  of  the 
Lord,  till  its  soft,  yet  piercing  whisper  was  drowned  in 
the  roar  of  transgression  and  debauch. 

Still,  therefore,  do  we  hail  with  delight,  and  wear  with 
rejoicing  the  mild  and  gentle  yoke  of  a  law  in  which  in- 
finite love  and  mercy  shine  pre-eminent ;  still  do  we 
gladly  acknowledge  ourselves  under  the  law;  nor  will 
we  shake  it  off  even  now,  that  we  are  prevented  from 
adhering  to  many  of  its  ordinances.  We  know,  and  we 
are  blessed  in  the  belief,  that  our  merciful  Father  knows 
the  nature  of  His  creatures  far  better  than  we  know  our- 
selves ;  and  that  if  we  cleave  to  His  law,  as  far  as  it  is 
in  our  power,  during  our  captivity;  if  we  earnestly  seek 
after  righteousness,  and  endeavour  with  heart,  and  soul, 
and  might,  to  cherish  the  spirit  of  piety,  to  love  the 
Lord:  His  infinite  love,  and  long-suffering  comipassion 
will  fill  up  the  deficiency.*     We  have  no  need  to  look 

*  The  Scriptures  say:  "Cursed  be  he  that  observeth  not  the  words  of 
this  law  to  do  them"  (Deut.  xxvii.  26),  which  would  imply  blessing 
upon  the  faithful  servant  according  to  his  means. — I  cannot  avoid  ob- 
serving, that  in  this  very  verse  is  a  gross  mistranslation  in  the  English 
Bible,  for  the  word  oil  is  inserted  in  italic  letters  before  "words," 
so  as  to  make  it  read  "  all  the  words,"  and  this  false  interpretation  has 
been  made  the  basis  of  invective  against  us,  because  no  one  can  keep 


THE   SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM.  175 

to  a  suflfering*  saviour;  our  God  is  too  just,  too  full  of 
love  for  all  His  creatures,  to  demand  tlie  sacrifice  of  one 
for  the  sins  of  many,  even  were  that  one  a  god  and  not 
man.  To  know  that  we  sin,  to  acknow]edo;e  our  trans- 
gressions  and  the  transgressions  of  our  fathers,  and  look 
to,  and  trust  in  our  Father's  love  and  mercy,  who,  for 
His  own  sake,  hath  sworn  to  blot  out  as  a  thick  cloud 
our  sins — we  have  His  holy  word  as  guarantee  that  this 
is  enough;  we  therefore  look  to  Him  alone;  and  in  His 
righteousness,  if  we  seek  it  with  all  our  heart,  we  are 
made  riQ;hteous. 

If  we  thus  acknowledge  the  beneficent  purpose  of  the 
law,  how  completely  appropriate  is  it  to  our  need !  how 
evidently  is  it  the  work  of  an  all- wise,  all-merciful  Fatber, 
who  had  but  the  good  and  everlasting  welfare  of  His 
children  in  view,  when  He  ordained  it,  and  selected 
Moses  to  make  it  known.  We  cannot  but  feel  an  earnest 
desire  to  obey  its  every  dictate,  to  adhere  to  it  as  strictly, 
as  closely  as  ever  our  scattered  and  fallen  state  will  per- 
mit; and  not  strictl}^  and  closely  alone,  but  freely,  un- 
conditionally, lovingly,  giving  the  heart,  not  the  servile 
obedience  of  slaves.  And  this  is  still  in  our  power  to 
do,  though  to  very  many  of  our  rites  and  ceremonies  we 
cannot  adhere  in  our  dispersed  and  captive  state. 

When  men  are  drawn  together  to  attend  to  peculiar 
rites,  and  keep  holy  particular  days :  their  thoughts  natu- 
rally revert  from  their  individual  concerns,  to  the  com- 
bination of  interest  which  draws  them  thus  together. 

all  the  law.  For  a  more  extensive  view  of  this  question  I  must  refer 
the  reader  to  my  second  Series  of  Discourses,  Lecture  ix.  pp.  98-109. — ■ 
I.  L. 

*  There  is  not  the  most  distant  reference  to  such  a  being  in  the  whole 
law;  and  we  contend  that,  if  such  a  belief  were  necessary  for  salvation, 
it  would  have  been  revealed  in  direct  terms,  and  not  been  left  to  mere 
inference  from  a  single  sentence  in  the  book  of  Isaiah. — I,  L. 


176  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM, 

They  are  forced  for  the  time  to  leave  their  temporal  af- 
fairs, even  though  the  thought  should  still  cling  more 
earnestly  to  these  than  to  their  spiritual  welfare;  they 
feel  conscious  of  some  obligation  binding  them  to  a 
Higher  Power,  and  by  degrees  they  attain  some  portion 
of  holiness.  To  others,  again,  public  observance  of  forms 
gives  the  opportunity  to  ponder  on  their  God,  which 
they  might  otherwise  seek  for  in  vain.  And  to  other 
and  yet  more  exalted  minds  it  strengthens  and  supports 
the  inward  piety,  it  gives  them  that  which  they  so  ear- 
nestly desire,  opportunities  of  proving  their  love  by  a 
willing  and  perfect  obedience.  Religious  ceremonies  also 
attract  the  attention  of  children,  and  sometimes  lead 
them  to  ask  and  search  for  that  which,  through  neglect 
or  irreligion  on  the  part  of  parents,  they  might  never 
know.  Many  condemn  form  entirely ;  but  if  the  rites 
and  ceremonies  of  religion  were  not  intended  to  bring 
forth  s:ood,  the  God  of  sroodness  would  not  have  ordained 
them.  Subordinate  to  the  spirit  they  were  to  be  indeed ; 
to  assist  the  worship  of  the  heart,  but  not  to  take  its 
place.  Ordained  to  preserve  us  wholly  distinct  from 
other  nations,  many  of  the  minor  laws,  relating  only  to 
the  customs  of  the  nations  under  God's  wrath,  cannot  of 
course  now  be  observed;  but  they  are  not  to  be  pro- 
nounced trifling  and  unimportant  on  that  account;  nor, 
because  we  cannot  attend  to  them,  are  we  to  disregard 
others;  for  these  are  the  words  of  the  Eternal:  ''Ye  shall 
not  walk  in  the  manners  of  the  nations  which  I  cast  out 
before  you;  for  they  committed  all  these  things,  and 
therefore  I  abhorred  them;  but  I  have  said  unto  you. 
Ye  shall  inherit  their  land,  that  floweth  with  milk  and 
honey ;  I  am  the  Lord  your  God  which  separateth  you 
from  other  people;  and  ye  shall  be  holy  unto  me,  for  I 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  •       177 

the  Lord  am  holy,  and  have  severed  you  from  all  other 
people,  that  you  should  be  mine." 

We  need  go  no  farther  than  these  beautiful  verses,  to 
perceive  the  origin  and  necessity  of  our  peculiar  ceremo- 
mies.  We  were  to  abstain  from  some  to  sever  us  from 
wickedness,  and  adhere  to  others  to  mark  us  as  the  holy 
of  the  Lord.  Listead,  then,  of  seeking  to  find  excuses 
for  their  non-performance,  should  we  not  rather  glory  in 
the  minutest  observance  which  would  stamp  us  as  so 
peculiarly  the  Lord's  own,  and  deem  it  a  glorious  privilege 
to  be  thus  marked  out,  not  only  in  feature  and  in  faith, 
but  in  OLir  civil  and  religious  code,  as  the  chosen  of  God? 
Had  we  been  thus  selected  by  an  earthly  sovereign,  who 
would  not  have  gloried  in  the  distinction  ?  and  shall  the 
Hebrew  think  less  of  the  favour  of  his  God  ? 

True,  the  heathen  nations,  against  whose  evil  example 
we  were  warned,  no  longer  surround  us;  but  we  live  in 
the  midst  of  others  with  whom  we  are  still  more  likely 
to  become  assimilated,  if  we  relax,  in  the  very  smallest 
degree,  from  our  adherence  to  the  law  of  Moses.  With 
regard  to  this  blessed  law,  the  Bible  is  the  only  unerring 
guide;  nor  should  the  end  and  intent  of  its  statutes  ever 
be  forgotten.  The  spirit  of  love,  so  beautifully  breathing 
through  the  preceding  verses  of  the  Shemang,  must 
hallow  the  observance  of  the  two  last,  or  obedience  will 
be  of  little  avail.  If,  when  the  Hebrew  arrays  himself  in 
the  Tephillin,  he  thinks  on  all  that  is  comprised  in  the 
brief  passages  he  has  bound  on  his  brow  and  hand,  and 
earnestly  and  faithfully  he  seeks  for  strength  to  obey 
their  dictates  throughout  the  day,  and  he  asks  for  grace 
that  his  hands  work  not  evil,  his  feet  turn  not  astray,  his 
thoughts  cleave  not  to  transgression  :  the  command  of 
Moses  is  indeed  obeyed,  not  only  in  form,  but  in  spirit. 
If  the  scroll  of  the  law,  fastened  to  the  door-post  of  his 


178  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

house,  remind  the  son  of  Israel  of  a  preceding  command, 
*'to  speak  and  think  of  his  God  when  he  sitteth  in  his 
house  or  walketh  by  the  way;"  if  it  evince  to  the  stran- 
gers around  that  he  is  not  one  of  them,  however  inti- 
mately he  may  mingle  in  social  intercourse;  that  he 
glories  in  standing  thus  apart  as  the  chosen  of  God :  the 
form  has  done  its  duty,  it  springs  from,  and  yet  assists 
the  spirit  resting  within. 

Thus  should  every  Hebrew  rite  be  considered,  and 
reason,  not  superstition,  be  traced  as  its  foundation.  The 
Mind,  from  whom  every  law  in  the  Pentateuch  origin- 
ated, fiiv  exceeds  in  wisdom  those  which  that  celestial 
Mind  has  framed; — and  therefore,  in  love.  He  threw  a 
veil  over  that  overpowering  light  of  wisdom ;  and, 
choosinc;  from  amouQ-  the  seed  of  Abraham  the  be.st  and 
meekest  of  His  favoured  servants.  He  delivered  through 
his  means  laws  which,  though  proceeding  from  the  most 
profound  wisdom,  were  yet  couched  in  words  suited  to 
the  weak  comprehension  of  His  creatures. 

Not  one  of  these  laws  has  a  mysterious,  or  admits  of 
a  double  meaning.  All  who  seek  to  know  the  Jewish 
ethics,  will  find  them  in  the  word  of  God ;  for  it  is  to  the 
ordinances  of  Scripture  alojie  we  refer.  There  may  be 
some  observances  which  superstition  and  bigotry  have 
introduced,  some  which  tarnish  and  choke  up  the  law  of 
love  which  came  direct  from  Heaven ;  but  to  them  we 
allude  not.  The  Bible  and  reason  are  the  only  guides  to 
w^hich  the  child  of  Israel  can  look  in  security.  The  laws 
for  which  we  can  find  no  foundation  in  the  one,  and 
which  will  not  stand  the  test  of  the  other,  need  no  farther 
proof;  they  are  not  the  dictates  of  the  law,  they  are 
wanderings  from  the  true  and  only  law,  the  inventions  of 
man,  and  not  the  words  of  God.  The  Bible  gives  us  a 
cause,  a  reason  for  every  statute,  it  enjoins.     It  would 


THE   SPIKIT   OF   JUDAISM.  179 

have  been  sufficient  had  man  been  desired  to  obey  simply 
because  God  willed  it;  but  the  Eternal  would  not  thus 
blind  His  children ;  He  would  not  the  obedience  of  igno- 
rance and  fear;  and  therefore  He  condescended  to  inform 
us  wherefore  each  law  was  given,  that  we  might  obey 
more  willingly,  and  give  the  homage  of  the  intellect  as 
well  as  the  sacrifice  of  the  will. 

It  is  therefore  evident  that  those  observances  which 
not  only  confine  the  soaring  spirit,  but  frequently  occa- 
sion ordinances  of  far  more  weight  to  be  neglected,  and 
for  which  no  reason  can  be  assigned  save  the  ideas  of 
our  ancient  fathers,  cannot  be  compared  in  weight  and 
consequence  to  the  piety  of  the  heart,  which  but  too 
often  they  supersede.  To  explain  the  w^ords  of  Moses  and 
adapt  them  to  the  comprehension  of  all  classes  amongst 
their  brethren  was,  in  all  probability,  the  sole  intent  of 
the  Hebrew  elders,  an  intent  equally  judicious  and  praise- 
worthy ;  but  they  would  have  shrunk  back  in  sorrow  and 
alarm  could  they  have  known,  that  in  future  ages  their 
words  would  take  the  place  of  the  word  of  God ;  that  they 
would  be  made  the  means  of  superstition  creeping  in 
amongst  us,  of  bigotry  raising  her  dark  and  lowering 
standard,  till  together  they  had  well  nigh  expelled  the 
pure  spirit  originally  pervading  the  religion  of  Moses; 
that  the  very  rites  and  ceremonies,  instituted  to  keep 
up  a  lively  remembrance  of  the  Lord,  should  be  the  very 
means  of  bidding  us  forget  Him,  as  if  religion  consisted 
only  in  outward  form. 

When  we  think  on  the  many  inconsistencies  discover- 
able in  the  mere  formalist;  the  contradictions  which  his 
strict  yet  lifeless  adherence  to  mere  ceremonial  things 
and  neglect  of  the  spirit  generally  comprise;  when  we 
know  that  they  who  depart  from  the  faith  of  their  fathers 


180  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

are  ever*  those  reared  in  the  severest  obedience  to  mere 
forms:  we  have  quite  sufficient,  evidence  that  such  are 

*  This  is  certainly  a  sweeping  clause,  though  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
truth  in  it;  an  education  which  merely  looks  to  the  enforcement  of 
blind  obedience,  and  is  not  sedulous  to  impress  reasons  for  outward 
aids  to  religion  upon  the  mind,  cannot,  from  its  very  nature,  shield  an 
Israelite  from  the  temptations  which  surround  him  when  he  is  no  longer 
in  fear  of  paternal  or  magisterial  rule.  His  observance  of  religion  hith- 
erto was  based  on  fear,  not  knowledge ;  and  fear  being  removed,  he  falls 
an  easy  prey  to  the  whisperings  of  interest,  gain,  or  worldly  enjoy- 
ment. Hence  my  friend  has  doubtlessly  seen  many  examples  among 
the  converts  of  the  Society  for  Evangelizing  the  Jews  of  men  who  were 
reared  in  the  strictest  observance  of  forms  who,  despite  of  a  fund  of 
knowledge  of  religious  lore,  such  as  it  is,  had  not  their  soul  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  the  heavenly  light.  But  are  they  Christians?  By 
no  means ;  they  are  converts  from  convenience  or  interest,  and  many 
doubtlessly  would  gladly  embrace  again  the  faith  of  their  ancestors, 
did  not  pride  or  fear  of  starvation  withhold  them.  Let  it  be  observed, 
that  Christians  are  unfortunately  too  much  inclined  to  extend  the  help- 
ing hand  to  such  pretended  converts,  believing  them  sincere  in  their 
profession  of  a  change  of  sentiment.  And  when  these  converts  have 
therefore  once  tasted  the  bounty  for  their  apostasy,  the  door  is  closed 
against  their  return  whilst  the  necessity  for  this  bounty  exists,  or  whilst 
they  are,  as  is  generally  the  case,  disinclined  to  labour  for  their  own 
support. 

The  cause  of  these  conversions  does  not  lie  in  the  forms,  but  in  the 
absence  of  spiritual  education.  Could  all  the  teachers  and  guides  of 
our  suffering  people  be  only  induced  to  teach  the  why  and  wherefore 
when  propounding  the  observance  of  the  duties :  these  would  be  exe- 
cuted from  love  of  our  faith,  not  from  fear  of  parental  authority.  And 
thus  armed  with  knowledge  of  what  is  demanded  of  Israelites,  and  im- 
bued with  a  firm  reliance  on  Providence,  our  young  men  and  our  maidens 
might  be  exposed  to  the  siren  notes  of  proselyte-hunters  without  falling 
into  the  snare  laid  for  their  feet. 

As  regards  the  reasons  for  abiding  by  ancestral  custom,  it  is  not,  as 
has  been  at  times  asserted,  without  cause ;  our  wise  men  found  the 
people  in  danger  of  being  overwhelmed  by  the  flood  of  gentile  opi- 
nions, owing  to  a  compulsory  intercourse  with  the  nations  in  their  cap- 
tivity ;  and  they  therefore  prescribed  rules  as  a  fence  for  the  law,  to 
preserve  its  spirit  from  the  assaults  of  outward  danger.  Without  going 
the  whole  length  of  claiming  permanency  for  all  these  ordinances  of  the 
elders,  we  may  assert  that  it  would  be  unwise  and  unsafe,  even  if  it 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  181 

not  the  consequences  of  obedience  to  the  law  of  Moses, 
that  they  proceed  not  from  the  spirit  of  religion,  which 
the  forms  were  given  to  aid  and  strengthen,  that  they 
come  of  weak,  capricious,  changeful  man,  not  from  the 
immutable  and  eternal  God.  And  their  universal  obe- 
dience generally  proceeds  from  the  Hebrew  following  in 
the  steps  of  his  fathers,  without  knowing  the  why  and 
the  wherefore.  Nor  is  it  extraordinary  that,  when  the 
spirit  is  not  inculcated,  succeeding  generations  should 
either  become  yet  more  severely  bigoted  and  darkly 
superstitious,  or,  disgusted  with  a  religion  which  brings 
no  comfort,  no  support,  throw  it  off  entirely,  embrace 
another,  or  live  as  if  they  had  no  God.  And  is  not  this 
an  awful  consideration?  Can  it  be  one  moment  ima- 
gined, the  God  of  love  will  accept  the  religion  of  petty 
ceremonies  in  lieu  of  the  heart  which  He  so  continually 
demands?  Will  He,  who  hath  desired  the  love  of  the 
heart,  and  soul,  and  might,  be  content  with  the  mere 
offerins:  of  outward  form?  What  are  the  words  of  His 
righteous  servant  David,  when  monarch  of  Israel,  and  it 
was  in  his  power  to  attend  to  all  and  every  rite  enjoined 
by  Moses?  ''Thou  desirest  not  sacrifice,  else  would  I 
give  it;  thou  delightest  not  in  burnt-offering;  the  sacri- 
fices of  God  are  a  broken  s^rit,  a  broken  and  a  contrite 
heart,  oh  God!  thou  wilt  not  despise." 

were  legal,  to  pull  down  the  bulwark  thus  erected,  with  rude  and  un- 
skilful hands.  Such  a  reform  would  be  destruction,  not  improvement. 
Better  far  is  it  to  leave  the  gradual  change  to  time,  upon  the  good  old 
principle  of  the  ancient  Hillel:  "Let  Israel  alone;  for  if  they  are  not 
prophets,  they  are  the  sons  of  prophets!"  Indeed  we  are  not  quite  so 
blind  as  the  Christians  assert  we  are ;  we  have  our  faults  and  knov/  them 
too ;  all  we  ask  is,  let  us  alone,  leave  us  to  regulate  and  improve  our 
condition ;  and  it  would  be  wonderful  if,  with  Heaven's  blessing,  some 
good  fruit  will  not  be  produced  under  the  hands  of  labourers  who  have 
never  been  wanting  when  the  exigencies  of  the  times  demanded  their 
aid. — I.  L. 

16 


182  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

Two  most  important  facts  are  contained  in  these  beau- 
tiful verses.  In  the  first  place,  the  Hebrew  who  thinks, 
feels,  and  acts  as  if  his  salvation  depended  upon  form 
alone,  as  if  his  acceptance  with  his  God  depended  en- 
tirely and  solely  on  lifeless  rites  in  which  the  spirit  has 
no  part,  tacitly  allows  the  truth  of  all  that  the  Nazarene 
would  urge  with  regard  to  the  necessity  of  a  mediator. 
If  it  were  the  mere  formula  of  priests  and  sacrifices,* 
wholly  distinct  from  the  religion  of  the  heart,  which 
made  atonement  for  him,  and  procured  him  salvation  and 
acceptance:  the  JSTazarene  has  some  room  for  his  idea 
that,  unless  we  acknowledge  and  feel  the  necessity  of  an 
everlasting  high  priest,  and  the  grand  atonement  of  a 
bleeding  saviour,  we  must  be  utterly  cast  off  and  aban- 
doned, we  can  have  no  hope,  no  refuge;  and  that  unless 
we  cling  to  and  acknowledge  him  whom  they  allege  to 
have  been  made  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of  man,  we 
must  die  in  sin  and  be  doomed  everlastingly. 

It  is  impossible  for  the  mere  formalist  to  bring  sub- 
stantial argument  against  this  specious  plea;  and  there- 
fore is  it  that,  when  converts  are  made,  or  rather  when 
departures  take  place  from  the  faith  of  Israel  (for  those 
cannot  be  termed  converts  who  know  nothing  of  the  reli- 
gion they  leave),  they  can  always  be  traced  to  the  off- 
spring of  those  who  inculcate  the  form,  to  the  entire 
neglect  of  the  true  and  pure  spirit  which  our  God  de- 
mands. 

It  is  otherwise  with  those  who  look  on  the  above  quoted 
words  of  David,  according  to  their  real  meaning;  who 
can  trace  in  them,  not  alone  the  religion  of  the  minstrel 

*  Let  it  be  remembered,  that  this  is  not  the  idea  entertained  by  our 
elders,  but  only  by  those  whose  ignorance  of  our  tenets  makes  them 
look  upon  outward  aids  as  the  essentials  of  religion.  "  The  Merciful 
demands  the  heart"  is  the  Talmudic  doctrine. — I.  L. 


THE   SriRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  183 

king,  but  the  real  Id  tent  of  the  sacrifices  enjoined  by- 
Moses, — that  they  were  to  be  secondary  to  the  sacrifices 
of  the  heart  and  will;  that  of  themselves  they  were  even 
as  nothing.     If  it  were  in  the  power  of  the  priest  to  make 
atonement  for  sin,  t©  wash  away  the  guilt  of  the  trans- 
gressor in  the  blood  of  sacrifices  :  we  should  have  a  long 
account  of  David's  formal  acts  of  penance,  of  his  seeking 
instantly  the  priest,  of  all  the  goats  and  sheep  he  brought 
up  for  sacrifices;   instead  of  which  we  have  the  most 
exquisite  description  of  Nathan's  appeal,  of  the  instant 
confession  and  remorse  of  the  kins:,  and  of  the  touchino; 
events  which  followed — his  forgiveness,  yet  his  chastise- 
ment in  the  death  of  his  beloved  and  innocent  child.    No 
doubt  he  strictlv  attended  to  those  rites  and  sacrifices 
which  Moses  has  instituted  in  case  of  sin ;  but  we  clearly 
perceive  how  completely  secondary  they  were,  by  the 
absence  of  all  allusion  to  them,  and  by  the  emphatic  and 
touching  simplicity  of  ih.Q  exclamation  in  which  he  shows 
the  insufficiency  of  all  sacrifice  for  sin,  save  that  of  the 
heart.     We  are  sometimes  apt  to  marvel,  that  even  the 
best  characters  of  the  Bible  are  not  exempt  from  sin ;  yet 
that  very  fact  is  a  farther  proof  of  our  Father's  infinite 
love  and  condescension.     If  the  character  of  David  had 
been  wholly  good,  we  should  not  have  seen  so  clearly 
the  perfect  equity  and  love  displayed  in  God's  dealings 
with  His  creatures.    It  palpably  and  ocularly  proves  all 
that  the  prophets  of  later  years  sought  so  perse veringly 
to  inculcate — that  to  repent  humbly,  sincerely,  earnestly, 
to  give  the  sacrifice  of  a  broken  and  contrite  heart,  to 
turn  from  the  error  of  former  ways,  and  seek  after  right- 
eousness with  heart  and  soul;  firmly,  yet  with  a  lowly 
spirit,  trusting  in  the  fulness  of  God's  love  and  tender 
mercy  to  fill  up  the  deficiency,  and  in  His  truth  and 
righteousness  to  make  us  righteous,  to  bow  submissively 


184  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDiUSM. 

and  resignedly  to  whatever  trials  He  may  inflict, — that 
this  is  all-sufficient,  He  needs  neither  "  the  flesh  of  bulls, 
nor  the  blood  of  goats,"  He  requires  obedience,  and  no 
other  atonement  nor  sacrifice;  for  the  merit  of  these  con- 
sisted in  obedience,  and  simply  as  a  test  ot  that  obedience 
they  were  instituted ;  consequently,  the  plea  of  the  Na- 
zarene  is  of  no  avail.  We  have  no  need  of  a  dying 
saviour;  our  God  is  all-sufficient,  more  than  sufficient 
for  our  need.  And  if  we  give  Him  that  sacrifice,  which 
we  can  still  give;  if  we  obey  every  statute,  which  in  our 
present  captive  and  wandering  state  we  com  obey:  our 
worship  is  as  acceptable  in  His  sight  as  it  was  in  Jeru- 
salem; for  it  needed  the  same  mercy  to  purify  and  per- 
fect it  then  as  it  does  now. 

Yet  while  we  feel  and  acknowledge  the  insufficiency 
of  form  alone,  the  sons  of  Israel  must  beware  of  the  con- 
trary extreme,  that  is  failing  in  the  most  important  article 
of  their  faith,  a  willing  and  perfect  obedience,  by  deeming 
spirit-worship  all-sufficient.  If  they  adhere  not  to  the  rites 
of  their  forefathers,  they  cannot  take  unto  themselves  the 
gracious  promises  made  to  the  children  of  Israel;  for 
their  religion  degenerates  into  that,  which  is  termed, 
natural  theology ;  in  a  word,  they  are  Deists,  not  Hebrews, 
and  they  deprive  themselves  alike  of  faith,  hope,  and 
comfort. 

The  origin  of  this  far-spreading  evil  consists  in  the 
fatal  desire  to  draw  a  line  between  the  past  and  present 
Jerusalem,  and  the  countries  in  which  we  are  scattered. 
In  some  things,  indeed,  we  may  be  compelled  to  do  so; 
but  certainly  not  in  all.  There  are  many,  very  many 
laws,  which,  if  the  Hebrew  would  still  manifest  himself 
as  the  first-born  of  the  Lord,  he  can  still  implicitly 
obey. 

Obedience  to  the  fifth  and  sixth  verses  of  the  Shemang 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  185 

has  fallen  into  disrepute,  because  it  is  supposed  pharisaical 
and  only  assumed  to  attract  attention.  But,  when  not 
thus  abused,  the  very  act  of  robing  ourselves  in  an  ap- 
pointed dress  must  in  a  degree  prepare  the  mind  to  ad- 
dress its  Creator:  the  Hebrew  has  withdrawn  from  the 
world ;  he  is  for  the  while  divided  from  his  fellow-men ; 
his  thoughts  are  turned  to  another  and  holier  object;  he 
does  not  rush  unprepared  and  unthinkingly  in  the  awful 
Presence;  and  he  may  then  hope,  his  prayers  are  purer, 
more  imbued  with  a  divine  spirit,  then  had  he  turned 
direct  from  the  world  unto  his  God.  But  this  dress  w^as 
never  intended  to  be  assumed,  except  in  the  sacred  pri- 
vacy of  the  closet,  or  in  the  stated  hours  of  family  devo- 
tion. 

In  the  observance  of  these  minute  forms  publicity 
should  be  most  carefully  avoided.  It  is  enough,  if  to 
the  world  he  demonstrate  the  peculiar  holiness  of  his  re- 
ligion by  the  superiority  of  his  moral  conduct.  The  son 
of  Israel,  who  has  been  in  early  years  awakened  to  the 
spirit  of  Judaism,  will  gladly  observe  the  minutest  form, 
which  will  assist  his  devotions,  and  chain  his  wandering 
thoughts ;  and  though  the  act  of  attaching  the  scroll  of 
the  law  tt)  the  door-posts  of  his  house  may  not  be  in  any 
way  connected  with  the  strengthening  of  the  spirit :  he 
will  yet  gladly  avail  himself  of  this  command,  to  prove, 
he  fears  not  the  scorn  of  the  world's  attacking  perhaps 
this  public  manifestation  of  his  religion  ;  he  rather  over- 
comes it  as  a  trial  and  proof  of  willing  obedience,  and 
glories  in  thus  keeping  himself  distinct  from  the  nations, 
and  holy  unto  his  God. 

Writing  for  professed  Hebrews,  it  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  touch  on  the  laws  regarding  food;  yet  these  are  those 
which  are  generally  seized  upon  by  nominal  religionists, 
and  declared  to  relate  solely  to  those  Eastern  nations 

16* 


186  THE    SPIRIT   OF    JUDAISM. 

where,  even  to  this  day,  their  disobedience  is  attended 
with  disease  and  suffering.  We  have  no  proof  in  the 
word  of  God  that  they  are,  as  some  declare,  simply  and 
solely  the  advice  of  Moses,  a  man,  to  keep  his  followers 
in  health ;  on  the  contrary,  we  have  the  evidence  of  the 
whole  Pentateuch,  ay,  and  the  prohibitions  of  the  pro- 
phets, to  convince  us  that  the  same  infinite  Mercy  framed 
these,  comparatively  trivial  as  they  are,  as  every  other 
which  His  book  contains.  Moses  could  not  speak  for 
himself  alone;  he  had  no  power  to  make  mere  human 
laws ;  the  inspiration  with  which  he  was  gifted  would 
have  wholly  and  instantly  departed  from  him,  had  he 
dared  to  frame  a  sins^le  law  which  was  not  of  the  Lord. 
To  preserve  health,  to  keep  us  distinct  and  holy,  to  be  a 
trial  of  obedience, — for  these  things  they  were  originally 
given ;  and  that  we  are  no  longer  in  the  country  where 
they  were  bestowed  is  of  little  consequence.  The  one 
reason  may  be  now  perhaps  as  nothing,  the  food  in  other 
countries  than  the  East  may  be  sweet  and  wholesome; 
but  the  others  still  exist  in  equal,  perhaps  in  double 
force. 

The  act  of  eating  may  be  deemed  very  trifling  and 
unimportant;  but  when  indulged  in  at  the  expense  of 
obedience,  it  surely  must  become  of  weight;  for  what 
first  occasioned  the  influence  of  evil  ?  what  tempted  Eve 
to  disobey  ?  Was  it  not  in  part  the  gratification  of  her 
appetite?  for  "when  the  woman  saw  that  the  tree  was 
good  for  food''  she  put  forth  her  hand,  took  of  the  fruit 
thereof,  and  thereby  disobeyed.*     The  word  of  the  Lord 

**■  This  argument,  originally  written  in  1837,  has  lately  become  pecu- 
liarly dear  from  its  association  v.'ith  a  young  friend  and  relative  fron\ 
whose  lips  the  same  idea  proceeded  in  support  of  the  same  argument  last 
summer,  and  is  here  recorded  simply  to  evince  that  the  Hebrew,  even 
as  the  Christian  religion,  finds  its  beatified  resting  in  minds  of  fourteen 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  187 

has  gone  forth,  and  it  is  not  in  onr  power  to  alter  it. 
Who  dare  affirm  that  the  very  food  chosen  in  this 
captive  and  degraded  state,  is  not  a  trial  of  fidelity  and 
obedience  ?  That  which  the  Eternal  hath  spoken  will 
never  be  recalled.  It  may  be  that  ignorant,  short-sighted 
man  may  not  know  the  reason  of  many  ordinances,  con- 
tained in  the  Bible;  but  that  lowly,  child-like  faith 
which  should  be  the  portion  of  every  child  of  Israel, 
rests  satisfied  in  the  conviction  that  the  God  of  wisdom 
has  some  wise,  though  perhaps  secret,  end  in  all  that  He 
ordaineth :  and  consequently  the  Hebrew's  duty  is  to 
obey,  without  question,  implicitly  and  continually.  If  we 
once  depart  from  the  strict  line  of  obedience,  we  know 
not  when  or  where  we  may  stop.  It  is  much  easier  to 
resist  temptation,  to  keep  our  feet  from  entering  the  path 
of  disobedience,  than  to  stop  the  headlong  course  of  evil 
when  once  the  path  is  entered. 

This  fact  is  demonstrated  alike  in  the  Pentateuch,  the 
books  that  follow,  and  in  the  Prophets.  The  Hebrew  is 
either  commande(J  to  obey,  or  is  shown  the  evils  of  dis- 
obedience. What  occasioned  the  fall  of  man?  Dis- 
obedience. What  turned  Lot's  wife  into  a  pillar  of  salt? 
Disobedience.  What  caused  all  the  cruel  wars  that  de- 
solated Judea  after  the  Israelites  had  obtained  posses- 
sion? Their  disobedience  in  not  exterminating  the 
nations  whose  wickedness  the  Lord  abhorred.    Why  did 

years.  There  is  peculiar  holiness  in  piety  which  has  shone  through 
long  months  of  suffering ;  especially  when  we  remember  that  it  was  after 
months  of  peculiarly  aggravated  suffering  he  once  emphatically  said : 
"  Were  I  told  that  eating  that  which  is  forbidden  would  restore  me  to 
health  some  months  sooner  than  were  I  to  refrain  from  doing  so,  I 
would  not,  I  could  not  take  it."  Alas,  perhaps,  ere  this  little  book 
comes  forth  to  the  world  that  blessed  spirit  may  be  lost  to  earth,  for 
even  now  it  hovers  on  the  confines  of  eternity. — Since  writing  the 
above,  that  spirit  has  indeed  departed. 


188  THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

tlie  Eternal  depart  from  Saul?  Because  in  sparing  Agag 
and  appropriating  unto  himself  the  richest  spoils  of  the 
Amalekites,  he  disobeyed.  And  the  Lord  had  said  unto 
His  people,  concerning  the  nations  around  them,  ''  Ye 
shall  not  go  in  unto  them,  neither  shall  they  come  in  unto 
you ;  for  surely  they  will  turn  away  your  heart ,  after 
their  gods."  Yet  Solomon,  the  son  of  David,  Solomon,  to 
whom  God  had  granted  wisdom,  riches,  power,  even 
Solomon,  disobeyed  this  command ;  and  not  onlv  did  his 
glory  depart  from  him,  but  from  that  one  act  of  dis- 
obedience we  may  trace  all  the  after-miseries  of  the 
Jews.  Had  the  kinQ;dom  of  Israel  remained  united,  and 
the  tv\^elve  tribes  been  acknowledging  but  one  sovereign, 
it  might  have  deiied  the  power  of  the  destroyer.  Had 
Solomon's  heart  remained  true  unto  his  God:  his  son 
would  have  been  blessed  for  his  sake,  even  as  he  had 
been  for  David's  ;  and  thus  the  kingdoms  of  Israel  and 
Judah  might  have  gone  on  progressing  in  glory,  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord,  till  it  had  attained  the  height  of 
prosperity  and  blessedness  promised  by  Moses  to  those 
who  OBEY  the  word  of  God.  Instead  of  w^hich,  the 
transgressions  of  Solomon  were  awfully  visited  on  his 
son  who  followed  in  his  evil  ways.  The  greater  part  of 
the  kingdom  was  rent  from  him;  and,  from  that  time, 
civil  wars  and  their  attendant  miseries  desolated  Judea, 
and  prepared  the  way  for  foreign  conquerors. 

Many  other  examples  of  disobedience  and  its  evil  con- 
sequences might  be  drawn  from  the  sacred  Book ;  but  to 
do  so,  would  exceed  our  limits.  It  may  be,  that  at  the 
present  time  disobedience  would  not  draw  down  such 
manifest  chastisement ;  but  it  is  equally  recorded  above, 
equally  subject  to  the  wrath  of  our  Father,  whose  favour 
and  whose  blessing  we  wilfully  cast  aside. 

The  emphatic  verse,  "Behold  I  set   before  you  this 


THE   SPIRIT    OF   JUDAISM.  189 

day  a  blessing  and  a  curse,  a  blessing  iijeobey  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Lord,  &c.,  and  a  curse,  if  ye  will  not 
obey  the  word  of  the  Lord  your  God,"  remains  in  equal 
force  now  as  when  it  was  given;  addressed  to  the  people 
of  Israel,  it  must  remain  valid  and  immutable,  till  that 
people  shall  cease  from  the  earth.  It  is  not  confined  either 
to  place  or  time.  Hundreds,  ay,  thousands  of  years  have 
passed  away ;  yet  the  nation  of  Israel  still  exists,  though 
every  other  flourishing,  when  those  words  were  spoken, 
has  crumbled  into  dust.  We  to  this  day  remain  emblems 
of  the  power,  the  mercy,  the  justice,  the  wrath  of  the 
Almighty;  and  that  verse  applies  as  forcibly  to  us  now, 
as  it  did  to  our  fathers. 

Obedience  depends  neither  on  country,  time,  nor  situa- 
tion; it  is  required  whether  we  are  free  citizens  of  Jeru- 
salem, or  wanderers  and  captives  in  the  stranger's  land; 
whether  all  things  are  smiling  around  us,  or  dark  clouds 
obscure  us  beneath  their  shades;  whether  coeval  with 
Moses,  the  present  time,  or  a  thousand  years  hence..  And 
would  we  still  be  the  first-born  of  the  Lord :  we  must 
adhere  without  hesitation  or  inquiry  to  the  law  of  Moses 
— the  pure,  the  beautiful,  and  consistent  law,  of  which 
the  whole  Bible  is  the  glorious  record. 

Obedience  extends  over  every  rank  and  station.  "We 
cannot  now  bring  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices  unto  the 
Lord;  but  verses  similar  to  this  should  be  engraved  on 
every  youthful  heart:  "  Hath  the  Lord  as  great  delight 
in  burnt-off'erings  and  sacrifices,  as  in  obeying  the  voice 
of  the  Lord  ?  Behold  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  to 
hearken,  than  the  fat  of  rams;  for  rebellion  (or  disobe- 
dience) is  as  the  sin  of  witchcraft,  and  stubbornness  is  as 
iniquity  and  idolatry." 

It  is  impossible  to  peruse  the  holy  Scriptures  without 
the  conviction  striking  home  to  every  Hebrew  mind,  that 


190  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

we  may  worship  and  love  the  Lord  our  God,  as  fervently, 
as  steadily,  as  acceptably  to  Him  in  our  captive  state  as 
in  Jerusalem.  And  should  we  not  sometimes  ponder  on 
these  things,  and  endeavour  by  individual  conduct  to 
uphold  the  glory  of  the  nation,  and  assist  by  example 
our  wavering  brethren?  The  efforts  of  one,  or  two,  or 
five,  or  ten,  will  be,  alas !  of  little  avail,  save  for  their 
own  souls.  The  love  of  the  sons  of  Israel  for  their  faith 
should  be  such  as  would  urge  them  to  regard  her  welfare, 
her  interest,  her  glory,  even  as  their  own.  If  even  the 
Christian  regards  us  as  a  ''living  miracle,  as  the  living 
echo  of  Heaven's  holy  tones  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion:" in  what  other  light  can  we  look  upon  ourselves? 
Can  we  doubt  that  our  existence  is  to  be  for  ever  ?  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  who  giveth  the  sun  for  a  Hght  by  day, 
and  the  ordinances  of  the  moon  and  stars  for  a  light  by 
night,  who  divideth  the  sea  when  the  waves  thereof  roar: 
If  these  ordinances  depart  from  before  me,  saith  the 
Lord,  then  the  seed  of  Israel  shall  also  cease  to  be  a  nation 
before  me  for  ever.  If  the  heavens  above  can  be  measured, 
and  the  foundations  of  the  earth  be  searched  out  beneath, 
I  will  also  cast  off  the  seed  of  Israel  for  all  that  they 
have  done,  saith  the  Lord."  (Jeremiah  xxxi.  35-37.) 
"Ye  are  my  witnesses,  saith  the  Lord,  that  ye  may  know 
and  believe  me,  and  understand,  that  I  am  He,  before 
whom  there  was  no  god  formed,  neither  shall  there  be 
after  me;  I,  even  I,  am  the  Lord,  and  beside  me  there 
is  no  saviour.  This  people  I  have  formed  for  myself, 
they  shall  show  forth  ray  praise."  (Isaiah  xliii.  10, 11, 21.) 
And  shall  we  refrain  from  doing  so?  Are  we  so  insensible 
to  such  blessed  privileges,  as  blindly  to  throw  them  off? 
And  although  almost  every  page  of  the  holy  volume 
teems  with  proofs,  that  Israel  and  Judah  are  the  chosen 
of  the  Lord,  the  people  whom  He  hath  framed  for  Him- 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  191 

self,  and  whose  religion  will  at  length  extend  over  the 
whole  world :  there  are  yet  some,  who  wake  not  from 
their  lethargy,  who  wilfully  permit  the  Christians  to 
believe  we  are  indeed  forsaken,  indeed  deprived  of  all 
spirit,  grace,  and  blessing,  and  that  theirs  is  the  religion 
which  alone  can  promise  redemption,  hope,  and  comfort. 
But  how  different  would  be  the  tenor  of  their  thoughts 
concerning  us:  did  they  behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
reflected  in  the  social  and  domestic  conduct  of  every 
child  of  Israel! 

Every  Hebrew  should  look  upon  his  faith  as  a  temple 
extending  over  every  land,  to  prove  the  immutability, 
the  eternity  of  God,  the  unity  of  His  purposes,  the  truth 
of  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future :  and  regard 
himself  as  one  of  the  pillars  which  support  it  from  fall- 
ing to  the  ground,  and  add,  however  insignificant  in 
itself,  to  the  strength,  the  durability,  and  the  beauty 
of  the  whole. 

That  we  do  not  think  enough  of  these  things  proceeds 
from  that  spirit  of  independence,  which  w^ould  prompt 
every  man  to  worship  after  his  own  fancy.  Religion  has 
no  more  powerful  foe  than  independence.  It  is  contrary 
to  every  law  of  nature.  Who  is  it  dare  proclaim  himself 
a  being  independent  alike  of  God  and  man?  Who  dare 
say  we  are  not  dependent  beings  ?  Yet  it  is  of  little  use 
acknowledging  a  God,  One  who  frames,  upholds,  and 
guides  :  if  man  turn  aside  from  His  everlasting  statutes 
to  walk  in  his  own  ways,  his,  who  himself  is  but  the 
being  of  a  day. 

Obedience  was  from  the  first  the  great  trial  of  man; 
and  if  we  worship  God  after  our  own  fashion,  we  rob  both 
prayers  and  actions  of  their  sweetest  savour.  Whether 
Hebrew,  Christian,  or  Mahomedan,  he  only  is  sincerely 
and  earnestly  religious  who  strictly  adheres  to  the  sta- 


192  THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

tutes  contained  in  the  Book  which  each  creed  looks  upon  as 
sacred.  And  it  should  be  the  pride  of  every  Hebrew  to 
obey  the  laws  of  Moses  implicitly,  so  unfailingly  as  to 
give  unanswerable  evidence  to  all  around  that  his  religion 
is  indeed  divine. 

It  may  be  that  obedience  is  more  difficult  now,  that  all 
worldly  distinctions  are  confined  to  members  of  another* 
creed,  than  were  we  in  our  own  country,  and  had  a  king, 
princes,  magistrates,  and  situations  of  dignity  and  honour 
amongst  ourselves.  But  the  Hebrew  has  still  honour  to 
support  and  glory  to  exalt ;  the  honour  of  his  faith,  the 
glory  of  his  God ;  he  is  still  one  of  a  great  fabric  which 
will  7iever  fall,  however  he  may  desert  it.  The  mighty 
arm  of  the  Lord  upholds  it;  and  were  there  but  ten 
Israelites  remaining,  then  from  them  would  spring  the 
messiah,  the  son  of  David,  ''  to  wipe  away  the  tears  from 
all  faces,"  to  teach  us  the  worship  of  holiness  and  truth : 
then  w^ould  from  them  the  earth  be  regenerated. 

Yet,  let  it  not  be  imagined  that,  if  it  be  the  arm  of 
the  Lord  which  supports  the  undying  fabric  of  His  faith, 
it  matters  not  how  His  people  fall  from  it:  since,  whether 
they  remain  faithful,  or  for  the  sake  of  worldliness  desert 
it,  cannot  effect  a  change  in  the  decrees  of  the  Eternal.  No, 
indeed,  nothing  they  can  do  can  destroy  the  Law; — but 
according  to  our  work  so  shall  be  our  recompense.  Let 
them,  therefore,  stand  firm,  and  show  forth  the  glory  of 
their  God  by  adding  to  the  beauty  of  the  temple  He  has 
framed;  and  His  blessing  will  descend  like  dew  upon 


*  It  must  not  be  lost  sight  of,  that  this  book  was  written  by  a  resi- 
dent of  England,  where  the  Jews  had  then  not  yet  been  admitted  to 
an  enjoyment  of  equal  rights;  the  case  is  different  in  America  and 
some  states  in  Europe ;  though  there  are  everywhere  obstacles  in  our 
"way  which  render  worldly  preferment  almost  incompatible  with  a  due 
observance  of  our  religion. — I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM.  193 

tlieir  souls,  nourishing  while  it  refresheth,  consoling 
while  it  purifieth.  But  those  that  fall  away  will  find 
their  emblem  in  the  fallen  pillars  of  a  ruined  shrine; 
like  them,  for  a  while,  they  may  be  admired  in  their 
fallen  state,  as  converts  are  in  the  church  they  have 
adopted;  but  then,  crumbling  into  dust,  despised,  neg- 
lected, scattered  like  chaff  before  the  wind,  they  will  be 
doing  dishonour  to  the  fabric  from  which  they  have  fallen, 
and  will  add  nothing  to  their  own  beauty  or  utility. 
Even  thus  are  those  who,  either  impelled  by  worldly 
motives,  or  because  they  know  nothing  of  their  faith, 
dishonour  and  degrade  the  religion  of  their  ancestors, 
whilst  they  add  nothing  to  the  glory  of  that  which  they 
have  adopted.  Oh !  how  great,  how  inconceivable  is 
that  love  which,  even  to  such  sinners,  holds  forth  both 
promises  and  pardon. 

In  vain  we  look  for  charity  in  those  who  have  left  the 
Jewish  nation.*  Delighted  with  themselves,  or  perhaps 
angry  with  others  for  not  following  their  example  (for 
whenever  such  persons  come  in  contact  with  those  who 
remain  steadily  firm,  conscience  raises  her  voice  some- 
what louder  than  they  approve  of,  and  the  anger  she 
excites  against  themselves  they  permit  to  find  vent  on 
others),  they  seldom  lose  an  opportunity  to  bring  others 
over  to  their  side,  or  endeavour  to  prove  their  zeal  for 
their  newly-embraced  creed  by  the  scorn  and  contempt 
which  they  invariably  evince  towards  the  religion  of  their 
forefathers.     How  different  is  their  conduct  from  that 


*  In  this,  as  in  every  other  rule,  there  are,  happily,  exceptions,  as  it 
has  been  peculiarly  the  author's  happy  fate  to  encounter.  The  author 
ought,  perhaps,  of  all  persons,  to  have  avoided  this  subject — having 
ever  received  distinguished  kindness  from  some  few  who  are  unhappily 
BO  situated ;  but  in  writing  a  theological  work,  it  is  the  author's  painful 
duty  to  write  generally,  not  as  individuals  have  experienced. 

17 


194  THE   SPIEIT    OF   JUDAISM. 

of  the  sincere  and  lowly,  though  mistaken  follower  of 
Christianity ;  how  differently  does  he  regard  the  Hebrew 
from  those  who,  born  Israelites  themselves,  may  still  have 
relations,  even  parents,  who  yet  adhere  to  the  law  of  God. 
Bat  in  vain  they  thus  endeavour  to  conceal  their  descent ; 
the  mark  of  God  is  on  their  brows,  and  wherever  they 
may  be,  they  cannot  shake  it  off.* 

There  are  others,  again,  who  take  unto  themselves  the 
supposed  glory  of  being  converts,  and  whom  many  Chris- 
tians triumphantly  hail  as  such,  who  can  really  boast  of 


*  In  the  midst  of  all  his  wanderings,  and  despite  of  the  effects  of 
climates  and  physical  changes,  the  Hebrew  has  preserved  his  pecu- 
liarity of  features  and  cast  of  countenance.  Going  over  to  the  army 
of  our  opponents  marks  us,  therefore,  but  as  traitors  to  the  noble  cause 
surrendered  to  us  as  its  natural  defenders ;  and  to  deny  our  origin  is 
contradicting  the  evidence  which  our  own  countenance  presents.  "  For 
unto  me  the  children  of  Israel  are  servants;  they  are  my  servants, 
whom  I  brought  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt :  I  am  the  Lord  your 
God."  (Lev.  XXV.  55.)  These  are  the  words  of  the  law;  and  no  one 
upon  whom  the  badge  of  the  divine  service  has  been  thrown  can  divest 
himself  of  it.  The  apostate  may  think  that  his  new  associates  love  and 
respect  him  ;  but  he  mistakes  the  truth :  the  intelligent  Nazarene  will 
suspect  his  sincerity,  justly  believing  that  he  would  not  have  quitted 
our  communion  were  ours  the  conquering  and  triamphant,  and  Chris- 
tianity the  suffering  cause.  His  face  will  mark  him  as  the  deserter 
from  his  God  ;  and  his  great-grandchildren  will  still  bear  the  evidence 
that  they  have  sprung  from  the  despised  race  of  Israel.  These  are  not 
idle  words!  they  are  the  words  of  truth  and  common  sense!  How 
much  nobler  a  course  do  they  pursue  who  endeavour  to  bring  honour 
upon  their  ancient  lineage,  who  add  renown  to  the  blessed  name  of  their 
ancestors,  who  magnify  the  glory  of  the  law  which  they  have  received 
from  their  Maker!  And  indeed  how  happy  would  we  be  as  a  united 
people,  if  we  all  would  contribute  our  aid  to  improve  the  condition  of 
our  brothers  in  faith,  and  act  so,  that  all  might  acknowledge  that  our 
hopes  of  better  things  are  well  founded,  and  that  the  v/ords  of  the 
Lord  in  our  mouths  are  indeed  truths,  truths  as  unchanging,  undying, 
as  is  the  Creator  Himself,  who  proclaimed  them  as  His  will  and  law. — 
I.  L. 


THE   SPIRIT   OF  JUDAISM.  195 

no  such  privilege;  placed  by  their  parents  at  Christian 
schools,  at  a  time  when  impressions  are  most  readily- 
imbibed,  they  cannot  do  otherwise  than  embrace  the  doc- 
trine which  they  hear  continually  explained,  the  only  one 
indeed  in  which  they  are  instructed.  How  then,  in  after- 
life, can  they  take  any  credit  to  themselves,  or  deem 
themselves  converts?  The  real  meaning  of  which  word 
appears  to  me,  simply,  examining,  studying,  reflectitig 
on  both  religions,  and  the  choosing  that  to  w^hich  their 
heai't  and  judgment  respond;  instead  of  which  the  Chris- 
tian religion  is  the  only  one  w^hich  they  have  known. 
They  have  not  been  taught  the  love  and  veneration  for 
their  ancient  faith,  which  could  strengthen  them  in  its 
observance,  and  enable  them  to  give  up  all  w^orldly  dis- 
tinctions, rather  than  desert  it.  Oh !  why  will  not  Jew- 
ish parents  instruct  their  children  in  the  Jewish  faith, 
or  send  them  to  Jewish  schools,  and  shrink  in  horror 
from  the  sinful  act  of  placing  them  where,  imbibing  a 
new  belief,  they  will  on  their  return  to  the  parental  roof 
too  often  break  with  a  rude  hand  that  holy  link  which 
of  all  others  should  most  closely  entwine  the  hearts 
of  parents  and  children,  the  common  worship  of  their 
common  Father,  the  one  religion  of  the  ONE  and  Holy 
God?* 


*  I  have  really  nothing  to  add  to  the  impressive  remarks  of  my  friend, 
farther  than  that  it  appears  unaccountable  how  a  Jewish  father  and  a 
Hebrew  mother  can  surrender  their  children  to  the  entire  guidance  of 
a  Christian  boarding-school.  Religious  inditference  must  have  gone  far 
indeed,  where  such  a  betrayal  of  the  trust  which  God  confided  to  them 
in  their  children  takes  place.  Do  they  really  believe  that,  whether  re- 
garded as  members  of  the  human  family  at  large  or  as  Israelites,  they 
have  thus  discharged  the  solemn  duty  incumbent  on  them  to  fit  them, 
their  charges,  for  the  kingdom  of  Heaven?  Do  they  themselves  believe 
in  the  faith  of  Moses?  Do  they  believe  in  on^e,  unchanging,  everlast- 
ing, immortal  God?     Do  they  believe  that  He  will  punish  those  who 


196  THE    SPIRIT    OF    JUDAISM. 

In  these  brief  remarks  on  the  great  importance  of 
steadily  adhering  to  form  (for  in  the  adhering  or  non- 


forswear  His  kingdom?    "We  have  yet  to  learn  that  there  are  professing 
Jews  who  believe  otherwise !     And  yet  they  can  sacrifice  their  children 
to  an  erroneous  system,  erroneous  as  we  needs  must  deem  it,  simply  be- 
cause they  are  too  indolent  to  retain  them  under  the  paternal  roof,  and 
to  superintend  in  their  own  persons  the  education  of  those  who  ought 
to  be  prized  above  every  thing.    And  oh!  how  can  a  man  who  deserves 
in  the  least  to  be  blessed  with  a  son,or  a  mother  whose  bosom  throbs  at 
all  with  emotion  at  beholding  her  own  daughter — how  can  such  think 
any  employment  more  pleasure-bringing  than  assembling  round  them 
daily  their  own  offspring,  and  to  see  their  intellect  expanding  day  by 
day  and  hour  by  hour,  under  their  own  guidance,  at  least  under  their 
own  superintendence  !  I  say  not,  that  the  parents  should  be  the  teachers ; 
for  as  the  world  is  now  constituted,  especially  in  large  commercial  com- 
munities, the  fathers  are  too  much  occupied  with  business  to  have  suffi- 
cient leisure,  even  if  the  capacity  be  not  wanting.     But  surely  in  the 
evening  hours  they  ought  to  rejoice  to  see  their  family  circle  unbroken 
around  them,  and  to  be  assured  that  the  instruction  imparted  during 
the  day  has  not  weakened  the  attachment  felt  towards  the  ancient  be- 
lief of  Israel.     But  the  mothers  in  the  house  of  Jacob,  particularly 
those  of  the  wealthier  class,  and  of  them  my  friend  I  believe  speaks 
more  especially — surely  they  cannot  be  so  much  the  slaves  of  pleasure 
and  indolence,  as  to  wish  their  sons  and  daughters  removed  from  their 
dwelling,  so  that  they  may  grow  up  without  experiencing  a  mother's 
love,  and  caring  in  return  little  for  maternal  authority.     But  unfortu- 
nately there  are  such — fathers,  who  desire  not  to  see  their  sons  around 
them  in  the  hours  of  leisure ;  mothers,  who  divest  themselves  of  their 
daughters'  presence  that  they  may  not  be  disturbed  in  their  amusement 
or  be  troubled  with  maternal  cares !    But  are  these  Israelites  ?  are  they 
not  the  cause  of  their  children's  apostasy? — Yet  when  old  age  creeps 
over  them,  when  they  see  their  own  flesh  and  blood  worship  at  unholy 
shrines,  calling  upon  gods  whom  our  forefathers  feared  not:  how  will 
they  curse  the  hour  when  their  negligence  or  pride  (that  their  children 
might  be  like  those  of  the  gentiles  around  them)  counselled  them  to 
banish  them,  as  it  were,  to  a  moral  desert,  where  unbelief  or  false  be- 
lief had  necessarily  to  supply  the  knowledge  of  our  bli&sful  belief! — 
One  excuse  they  may  perhaps  offer,  the  want  of  good  schools  of  our 
own.     But  even  this  is  no  extenuation.     If  schools  are  wanting,  esta- 
blish them,  place  at  their  head  men  and  women  who  fear  the  Lord  and 
tremble  at  His  word ;  and  as  sure  as  the  sun  shines  for  a  light  by  day, 


THE   SPIEIT   OF   JUDAISM.  197 

adhering  we  expose  ourselves  to  tlie  blessing  or  the  curse 
so  emphatically  promised  by  Moses),  our  review  of  the  two 
last  verses  of  the  Shemang  is  concluded;  and  we  have 
now  but  to  notice  the  beautiful  union,  observable  in  the 
six  verses,  forming  this  daily  prayer.  Each  is  distinct, 
and  forms  a  complete  study  of  itself;  yet  each  is  so  con- 
nected with  the  other,  that  the  whole  forms  a  more  com- 
plete and  summary  rule  of  life,  than  can  be  found  in  any 
other  part  of  the  Bible. 

It  is  'scarcely  possible  for  the  reflecting  mind  to  remain 
insensible  to  the  precise  and  beautiful  arrangement  of 
every  sentence,  almost  of  every  word. 

Proclaiming  the  unity  of  our  God,  we  are  daily  re- 
minded of  our  nationality,  and  all  the  weighty  reflections 
and  responsibilities  which  that  nationality  includes.  Then 
desired  to  love  the  Lord  with  heart,  and  soul,  and  might. 
It  is  morally  impossible  to  obey  this  command,  unless 
the  spirit  of  religion  pervade  our  every  action.  Affec- 
tions, intellect,  springing  from  the  pure  fount  of  light  and 
love,  must  pour  back  their  treasures — as  the  sparkling 
waters  of  the  fountain  fall  back  into  the  same  spring 
from  which  they  rose;  social,  domestic,  individual  con- 
duct, benevolence,  charity,  even  human  virtue,  are  in- 
cluded in  obedience  to  the  second  verse.  In  the  third, 
the  ten  commandments  are  recalled  to  rest  on  our  hearts, 
that  we  may  remember  them  to  do  them.  In  the  fourth, 
the  duties  of  religious  instruction,  of  strengthening  our 


Israelites  will  be  able  to  give  instruction,  and  fit  out  the  children  in- 
trusted to  their  care  with  all  the  light  of  science  and  refinement  which 
they  can  obtain  under  gentile  guidance.  Yet  even  if  this  were  not  so, 
better  far  would  it  be  that  we  be  shut  out  from  modern  civilization 
than  that  one  of  us  should  be  thereby  prevented  from  bearing  his  testi- 
mony to  the  existence  and  rule  of  the  One  true  and  only  God  and  Sa- 
viour.— I.  L. 


198  THE    SPIRIT   OF   JUDAISM. 

inward  thoughts  on  this  niomentons  subject  by  conver- 
sation, and  of  encouraging  the  spirit  of  piety  to  pervade 
even  those  amusements  which  we  may  deem  profane,  all 
are  strongly  inculcated.  And  lastly,  lest  the  spirit  thus 
enforced  should  fade  away  and  die  in  our  wavering  hearts, 
adherence  and  obedience  to  instituted  form  are  positively 
commanded.  "We  cannot  fail  to  perceive  by  the  arrange- 
ment of  this  brief,  yet  perfect  portion  of  our  law,  how 
closely  and  firmly  the  spirit  isicnited  with  the  form;  and 
that,  would  we  be  Israelites  indeed,  not  merely  such  in 
name,  the  command,  implied  in  the  arrangevient  as  well 
as  precept,  must  be  obeyed.  The  heart  must  be  wholly 
given  to  the  Lord ;  yet  still  the  instituted  form  must  be 
obeyed,  as  strictly  and  steadily  as  our  scattered  state 
will  permit.  As  both  are  here  indivisibly  connected: 
so  it  is  evident,  the  religion  of  no  Hebrew  is  perfect, 
unless  the  form  be  hallowed  by  the  spirit,  the  spirit 
quickened  by  the  form. 

When  this  is  done,  when  we  behold  the  union  of  reli- 
gion and  morality  as  the  God  of  heaven  intended;  when 
all  that  is  here  comprised  is  indeed  obeyed;  when  we 
behold  Hebrew  parents  bringing  up  their  children  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  according  to  the  law  of  Moses, — 
the  Bible  read,  studied,  alike  in  English  as  in  our  own 
language,  and  believed  by  every  Israelite,  male  or  female ; 
when  the  Sabbath-day  is  hallowed,  the  love  of  interest 
and  money  giving  place  to  the  pure  love  of  God;  worldly 
ambition  set  at  naught  when  it  can  only  be  gratified  at 
the  expense  of  Judaism;  when  the  Jewish  nation  glories 
in  her  captive  state  as  a  proof  that  she  is  the  chosen  of 
the  Lord,  and  hails  the  fulfilment  of  these  awful  threat- 
enings  as  convincing  evidence  that  the  glorious  promises 
will  be  with  equal  truth  fulfilled;  -when  such  things  are: 
then  indeed  may  we  hope  that  the  period  of  our  redemp- 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  JUDAISM.  199 

tion  is  drawing  nigh,  our  release  from  captivity  at  Land, 
the  advent  of  our  Messiah  approaching, — when  every 
remaining  prophecy  shall  be  gloriously,  blessedly,  fully, 
accomplished,  ''"When  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall 
return  and  come  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy; 
when  they  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and 
sighing  shall  flee  away." 


POEMS. 

BY  GRACE  AGUILAR. 


*^*  The  following  thirty-two  poetical  effusions  were  communicated 
for  "  The  Occident,"  vols.  I.  to  V.,  except  the  first,  transmitted  before 
this  magazine  was  started,  and  the  second,  which  was  copied  from  "  The 
Voice  of  Jacob."  They  are  given  unchanged,  as  first  printed;  and  it 
is  hoped  they  will  impart  in  others  that  feeling  of  devotion  which 
prompted  the  author  to  indite  them. 

Philadelphia,  Nissan  5624 


201 


POEMS. 


•S* 


ODE  ON  CHARITY. 

KECITED    BY    ONE    OF    THE    BOYS    OP    THE    SCHOOL   nlpH   ^■<J?8»    GATES 
OF  HOPE,   LONDON,  ON  TUESDAY,  THE  14tH  OF  APRIL,   1840  (5600). 

Oh  thou  that  sittest  shrined  far,  far  above. 
Thou  fleet-wing'd  spirit  of  omniscient  love  ! 
Urging  thy  flight  o'er  ocean  and  o'er  land, 
Leaving  sweet  tokens  of  a  Father's  hand. 
Breathing  of  love  from  which  no  woe  may  hide, 
'Neath  whose  soft  spell  e'en  sorrow's  tear  is  dried, 
Unseen  and  voiceless,  yet  the  angel  guest, 
In  every  land  that  holds  some  gentle  breast, — 
Thrice-blessed  Charity  !  to  thee  we  raise 
The  simple  ode  of  thankfulness  and  praise, 
And  blessing  thee,  in  gratitude  make  known 
The  generous  friends  who  heard  thy  pleading  tone, 
And  o'er  our  lowly  lot  such  joys  entwined 
As  soothe  the  heart  and  purify  the  mind. 
Blessings  on  those  who  to  our  youth  would  give 
Means  as  the  sons  of  Israel  to  live, 
To  aid  us  on  our  dark  and  rugged  way, 
And  grant  us  knowledge  as  our  prop  and  stay. 
How  may  we  speak  the  thankfulness  we  owe, 
The  blessings  lavish'd  on  a  lot  so  low ! 
Save  to  upraise  for  them  the  fervent  prayer, 
Whose  peace  and  fulness  they  would  bid  us  share, 
And  bid  return  unto  their  own  kind  hearts 
The  blessings  which  their  love  to  poverty  imparts  I 

2a3 


204  POEMS. 


THE  CHAMBER  OF  THE  DYING. 

'Tis  holy,  when  the  morning  peeps 

Softly  through  shadowy  night, 
When  Nature  gems  of  beauty  weeps, 
And  the  bright  world  so  gently  sleeps, 

Hush'd  in  its  pomp  and  might. 

'Tis  holy,  in  that  hour  of  eve. 

When  twilight's  robe  is  spread, 
When  thought  may  solemn  visions  weave, 
And  care  and  pain  and  sorrow  leave. 

Till  all  but  peace  hath  fled. 

'Tis  holy,  when  the  glistening  rays 

Of  many  a  silent  star 
Gleam  on  that  sad  and  yearning  gaze. 
That  up  to  heaven  its  prayer  would  raise, 

And  send  its  dream  afar. 

'Tis  holy,  when  the  choral  song, 

Fills  with  deep  tones  the  air, 
When,  awed  and  hush'd,  the  gathering  throng, 
Still,  in  the  spirit's  depth  prolong 

The  mighty  voice  of  prayer. 

'Tis  holy,  when  loud  thunders  roar, 

And  lightning  flashes  round, 
When  ocean  breaks  upon  the  shore. 
And  heavy  clouds  the  heavens  rush  o'er, 

And  winds  send  forth,  deep  sound. 

But  holier  e'en  than  these  the  shrine, 

Where  low  the  loved  is  lying. 
Where  glimmerings  of  a  love  divine, 
Through  pain  and  sorrow  softly  shine, 

The  Chamber  of  the  Dying. 

There : — God  is  there.     He  calls  His  own, 

In  voice  so  gently  mild, 
A  few  brief  hours,  and  to  His  throne. 
Where  saints  and  angels  dwell  alone, 

He  calls  His  favour'd  child. 


( 


POEMS.  205 

'Tis  on  an  angel  that  we  gaze, 

A  resident  of  heaven, 
Shrouded  a  while,  in  misty  haze, 
As  morning  veils  her  glowing  rays, 

Ere  night  afar  is  driven. 

'Tis  holy ! — holy  thus  to  rest 

Beside  a  spirit  flying, 
Though  anguish  fills  the  watchers'  breast, 
Yet  e'en  to  them, — 'tis  holiest, 

The  Chamber  of  the  I>ying  ! 


SABBATH  THOUGHTS. 
I. 


"  The  heart  knoweth  its  own  bitterness,  and  a  stranger  intermeddleth  not 
with  its  joy." — Proverbs. 

Yes  ;  better  far  our  God  should  read, 

And  God  alone,  our  inmost  soul, 
That  He  alone  can  see  it  bleed 

'Neath  its  dark  veil  of  stern  control ; 
'Tis  best  that  man  can  never  know 
One  half  the  spirit's  joy  or  woe. 

For  did  earth  give  us  all  we  seek, 

A  perfect  sympathy  and  love, — 
Did  man  console  in  accents  meek, — 

Oh,  should  we  ever  look  above  ? 
Contented  to  the  earth  we'd  cling, 
And  clip  the  spirit's  soaring  wing ! 


"We  ne'er  would  lift  the  tear-dimm'd  eye. 
Nor  bend  in  prayer  the  sinking  knee  ; 

Man  would  receive  each  swelling  sigh, 
And  soon,  too  soon,  our  idol  be ! 

Oh,  blessed  He  who  doth  ordain 

A  love  no  earthly  doubt  can  stain ! 

18 


206  POEMS. 

To  feel  this  world  our  resting-place, 
The  fainting  soul  is  all  too  prone, 

Seldom  the  ways  of  Heav'n  we  trace. 

While  earth's  bright  dreams  are  all  our  own; 

While  man  may  give  us  hope  and  love, 

Oh,  who  will-  lift  the  heart  above  ? 

But  when  the  heart  is  clouded  o'er 
With  shades  no  earthly  eye  can  reach, 

When  e'en  though  love  might  peace  restore, 
We  cannot  give  our  sorrows  speech — 

When  all  within  is  dark  and  drear. 

And  none  may  mark  the  spirit's  tear : 

Oh,  it  is  then  we  first  shall  learn 
The  blessedness  of  lowly  prayer, 

Then  upwards  shall  the  spirit  yearn, 
And  feel  one  pitying  Friend  is  there ; 

Then  the  deep  fulness  of  Ilis  love 

Our  lonely  moments  still  shall  prove. 

No  earthly  forms  the  void  can  fill, 

Which  thirsts  to  drink  th'  immortal  spring; 

No  earthly  balm  the  heart  can  still, 

AVhich  droops  to  clasp  his  Saviour's  wing  ;* 

Then  blessed  be  that  lonely  hour 

Which  first  proclaims  a  Father's  pow^r. 

Come,  then,  and  seek  the  Fount  of  love, 
Whose  living  waters  all  may  share  ; 

The  Friend  who  sits  enshrined  above 
Will  all  our  sorrows  soothe  and  bear ; 

Come  but  to  Him,  and  He  will  give 

Us  fitting  grace  for  heav'n  to  live. 

Nor  think  we  harshly  of  our  kind, 
That  none  may  read  our  joy  or  woe, 

That  dearest  friends  on  earth,  we  find. 
The  hearts  deep  caverns  ne'er  may  know ; 

*  Psalm  xci.  4;  Isaiah  xli.  26,  Ix.  16,  Ixiii.  8. 


POEMS.  207 

The  purest  love  our  souls  retain 

Can  guess  not,  soothe  not,  all  its  pain. 

'Tis  but  to  whisper,  that  below 

Imperfect  e'en  affection  is  ; 
That  fondest  friends  may  never  know 

The  fulness  of  a  love  like  His, 
"Who  reads  the  spirit's  veil'd  recess, 
AVhich  scarce  defines  its  own  distress. 

And  should  we  droop  beneath  the  pain 

We  have  to  feel,  that  none  can  see 
•Our  secret  selves:  then  God  will  deign 

To  hear  each  throb  of  agony, 
And  trace  unto  its  source  the  tear 
"Which  falls,  when  none  to  mark  are  near. 

My  God  !  Bid  Thou  the  heart  be  still, 

And  calmly  in  Thy  mercy  lie; 
Its  aching  void  let  Thy  love  fill, 

And  raise  to  Thee  the  tearful  eye ; 
Oh,  ne'er  be  earthly  links  our  own, 
If  they  must  fill  the  heart  alone. 

No !  be  Thine  image  ever  there, 

That  bless'd  our  lonely  hours  may  be; 
No  griefs  alone  'tis  ours  to  bear. 

For  all  are  known  and  shared  by  Thee ! 
Then  let  us  bless  the  Love  Supreme 
That  bends  o'er  earth  its  radiant  gleam. 

Yet  grant  us  still  those  loving  ties 

Which  long  this  earth  with  joy  have  blest ; 

But  let  us  seek  beyond  the  skies 

The  love  on  which  our  souls  may  rest : 

Oh,  quick  descend !  and  with  Thy  pow'r 

Bless,  Lord,  the  spirit's  lonely  hour. 


208  POEMS. 

SABBATH  THOUGHTS. 

n. 

WRITTEN    ON    THE    CLOSE    OF  A   PECULIARLY    BLESSED    DAY    OF    REST. 

Six  days  shall  work  be  done,  but  the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  rest. 
It  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  in  all  your  dwellings." — Levit.  xxiii.  2. 

I  BLESS  thee,  Father,  for  the  grace 

Thou  me  this  day  hast  given 
Strengthening  my  soul  to  seek  thy  face, 

And  list  the  theme  of  heaven. 

I  bless  thee,  that  each  workday  care 

Thy  love  hath  lull'd  to  rest. 
And  every  thought  whose  wing  was  prayer 

Thine  answering  word  hath  bless'd. 

I  bless  thee.  Father !  those  dark  fears, 

That  linger'd  round  my  heart. 
That  call'd  for  murmurs,  doubts,  and  fears, 

Thy  mercy  bade  depart. 

Oh,  Thou  alone  couldst  send  them  hence 

On  this  bless'd  day  of  peace. 
And  with  thy  spirit's  pure  incense 

Bid  workday  turmoils  cease. 

The  withering  pangs  of  anxious  care 

Were  through  the  week  mine  own. 
Eased  only  in  the  hour  of  prayer, 

But  never  from  me  flown. 

Darkly  around  me  closed  the  night, 

Though  trusting  still  in  Thee  ; 
And  heavily  I  hail'd  the  light. 

Fraught  with  few  joys  for  me. 

How  came  it,  then,  my  Sabbath  day 

Is  with  such  bliss  replete, — 
That  visions  bright  around  me  play. 

Whose  smiles  my  spirit  greet  ? 


POEMS.  209 

Oh,  ^tis  as  some  reviving  dew 

Were  o'er  each  sorrow  stealing, 
Folding  in  heaven's  own  azure  hue 

Each  dark  and  weary  feeling, 

As  if  no  sorrow  could  molest 

My  soaring  soul  again. 
Nor  find  a  momentary  rest 

For  aught  of  earthly  pain. 

A  Sabbath  to  my  inmost  heart,  i 

Thy  day,  my  God,  hath  been, 
Thy  loving  kindness  to  impart, 

E'en  to  a  child  of  sin, 

A  verdant  spot,  a  cooling  spring, 

On  earth's  unkindly  breast, 
Where  all  who  childlike  spirits  bring 
Shall  healing  find,  and  rest. 

My  God !  my  Father !  'tis  from  Thee 

These  blessed  hours  have  come  ; 
I  hail  them  type  of  joys  for  me. 

That  wait  me  in  thy  home  ! 

Come,  then !  if.  Lord,  'tis  thy  decree, 

My  workday  thoughts  of  care, 
The  day  of  rest  is  still  for  me, 

Thy  presence  then  to  share. 

And  naught  shall  banish  from  my  heart 

Its  memories  lingering  yet, 
Their  twilight  soothing  to  impart, 

E'en  when  their  sun  hath  set. 

Oh,  never  let  its  fleece  be  dry. 

Thine  own  day  mid  the  seven, 
And  wing  with  prayer,  my  God,  each  sigh 

That  yearns  for  Thee  and  heaven ! 


18* 


210  POEMS. 


SABBATH  THOUGHTS. 
III. 

"I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee." 

And  is  there  peace  and  rest  in  heaven, 
And  vt^ilt  Thou  never  leave  me,  Lord? 

Though  this  fair  earth  has  never  given, 
To  yearning  hearts,  one  answering  word? 

And  is't  with  Thee  our  souls  shall  find 
The  craving  void  of  suffering  fill'd, — 

The  throbbing  pulse,  the  care-worn  mind, 
The  anguish'd  heart  be  hush'd  and  still'd? 

Oh,  breathe  thy  promise.  Lord  of  Peace! 

My  spirit  yearns  and  craves  for  Thee, 
I  pray  not  sorrow's  pang  to  cease, 

Let  me  but  feel  Thou  art  with  me ! 

Let  me  but  clasp  again  the  Love 

Thou  didst  vouchsafe  erewhile  to  me, 

When  first  my  soul  look'd  up  above, 

And  pined  and  thirsted,  Lord,  for  Thee ! 

Oh  leave  me  not,  forsake  me  not, 

Unto  my  own  rebellious  will, 
Whate'er  of  trial  cloud  my  lot, 

Let  me  but  love  Thee,  trust  Thee  still  I 

Keep  me  but  constant  in  my  trust, 
Father !  oh  grant  it  fail  not  now, 

Lest,  sinking  prostrate  in  the  dust, 
Despair  and  doubt  should  cloud  my  brow. 

Again,  again  the  waves  of  Life 

Are  o'er  me  rushing  in  their  might, 

Whose  troubled  currents'  storm  and  strife, 
Hurl  my  weak  spirit  back  to  night. 


POEMS.  --;S=5=:=i==;=i^-        211 

I  deem'd  the  gleam  of  heav'n,  that  stole, 

When  prostrate  on  my  couch  I  lay, 
Had  left  sweet  peace  upon  my  soul, 

To  strengthen't  for  a  darker  day. 

But  it  has  pass'd,  and  left  no  sign ; 

The  struggle,  duty  to  fulfil, 
Has  robb'd  me  of  the  bliss  divine, 

Which  smiled,  when  weariness  chainM  me  still. 

Oh,  if  no  comfort  be  mine  own, 

Father,  still  fix  my  hope  on  Thee ! 
Till  I  may  feel  thy  love  alone, 

And  break  my  chains,  and  set  me  free. 

'Tis  but  to  try  my  faltering  faith, 

Thou  dost  a  while  thy  presence  veil ; 
Yet  though  thy  worm  be  tried  to  death, 

My  trust,  my  hope,  shall  never  fail. 

Back,  back  unto  the  waves  of  Life, 

My  shrinking  soul,  still  firmly  on ! 
What  if  the  path  with  storm  be  rife  ? 

The  crown  of  faith  may  yet  be  won ! 

In  His  own  time,  my  yearning  cry 

Shall  pierce  His  radiant  courts  of  love, 

And  faith  shall  change  to  prayer  each  sigh 
That  wings  its  quivering  flight  above. 


212  POEMS. 

SABBATH  THOUGHTS. 
IV. 

FARTING    FROM    FRIENDS. 
"  I,  even  I,  am  He  that  comforteth  you !" 

Oh  !  His  such  bitter  pang  to  part 

From  friends  whom  God  has  given,— 
The  silver  links  around  the  heart 

Seem  all  so  rudely  riven; 
Yet  He  who  gave  them  bids  them  go, 
And  He  will  heal  each  hidden  woe, 
And  soothe  the  burning  teardrop's  flow, 
E'en  from  His  throne  in  heaven. 

And  will  He,  sceptic-spirit,  say, 
Look  down  on  friendship's  hours? 

Will  He  cast  down  from  heaven  one  ray 
To  gild  such  earthly  flowers? 

He  will,  for  He  can  read  all  hearts ; 

He  knows  the  bliss  that  love  imparts, 

The  source  whence  sorrow's  sad  tear  starts, 
When  loneliness  is  ours. 

He  framed  the  heart,  and  feels  each  throb 

Of  suffering  and  woe ; 
He  hears  the  mourner's  stifled  sob. 

Though  tears  may  never  flow. 
He  knew  that  man  could  ne'er  sustain. 
Alone,  the  load  of  guilt  and  pain. 
When  sin  assumed  her  baleful  reign 

To  darken  all  below. 

Nor  was  it  then,  love's  sweetest  flowers 

Unto  this  earth  were  given ; 
They  smiled  on  Eden's  sinless  bowers, 

Ere  thence  frail  man  was  driven : 
And  if  e'en  there  man  might  not  be 
From  every  care  and  sorrow  free, 
AVithout  affliction's  sympathy. 
There  must  be  love  in  Heaven  1 


POEMS.  213 

And  e'en  the  "  Monarch  Minstrel"  felt 

The  bliss  that  friendship  gave  ; 
"When  round  him  darkening  dangers  dwelt, 

A  friend  was  there  to  save ; 
Their  souls  were  knit — their  hearts  were  twined— 
One  spirit  theirs — one  will — one  mind  ; 
Oh !  say,  was  love  like  theirs  design'd 

To  perish  in  the  grave? 

Then,  oh !  e'en  in  that  sorrowing  hour 

When  friends  on  earth  must  part, 
Alone  to  tread  where  dark  clouds  lower, 

And  bursting  feels  each  heart: 
Oh !  let  us  seek  our  God  in  prayer ; 
Though  77ian  may  scorn  such  love  to  share. 
Our  God  will  all  our  burden  bear, 

And  His  deep  love  impart ; 

And  teach  us,  though  a  while  we  sever. 

Still  we  shall  meet  again — 
If  not  on  earth — with  Him  for  ever ! 

Where  there  is  no  more  pain. 
Then  let  us  struggle  on,  and  pray 
For  strength  to  tread  our  lonely  way, 
And  on  our  God  the  weak  heart  stay. 

That  seeks  its  loved  in  vain. 

And  prayer  will  j9y  through  time  and  space 

That  friends  in  life  divide, 
Till  through  earth's  desert  drear,  we  trace 

Those  golden  portals  wide. 
That  ope  on  realms  of  fadeless  joy. 
Which  parting  hours  can  ne'er  alloy. 
Nor  that  pure  blissful  love  destroy 

Which  hath  on  God  relied. 
1839. 


214  POEMS. 


SABBATH  THOUGHTS. 
V. 

"For  I  am  the  Lord,  I  change  not." 

Oh,  are  there  friends  who,  when  they  part, 

As  fondly  meet  again  ? 
Does  absence  never  bring  the  heart 

A  deep  and  lasting  pain  ? 
How  may  frail  human  nature  speak 

Of  changeless  soul-felt  joy, 
And  in  a  cloud-wrapt  future  seek 

A  bliss  without  alloy  ! 

One  yearning  heart  may  beat  so  true 

That  time  has  pass'd  it  by, 
And  left  o'er  life  no  sombre  hue 

To  whisper  age  more  nigh, 
Alas  for  such — their  lonely  lot 

Hath  little  joy  below; 
The  roseate  flowers  that  Hope  has  wrought 

Will  lose  their  sunny  glow. 

It  may  not  be  the  heart  is  changed, 

But  all  is  changed  around, 
And  sever'd  paths  have  oft  estranged 

Friends  long  in  kindness  bound ; — 
But  oh !  tis  sad  to  yearn,  to  pine 

For  love  once  fondly  given. 
And  but  pale  buds  of  memory  twine, 

Frail  as  the  links  now  riven ; 

To  feel  the  glowing  thoughts  that  rise 

Are  laid  in  prisons  lone, 
And  never  read  in  beaming  eyes 

Their  answer  to  our  own  ; — 
To  dream  of  interest  ling'ring  still 

In  friends  we  claim  no  more, 
Till  voiceless  tears  the  soul  that  fill 

E'en  Memory  blotteth  o'er. 


POEMS.  215 


Oh  upward — upward  wing  the  soul, 

Till  its  lone  caverns  deep 
"With  love  that  needs  not  cold  control, 

With  joys  that  need  not  weep — 
Up  to  that  Home  where  love  may  rest 

Unfailing  to  the  end, 
Where  in  each  bright  and  angel  guest 

We  hail  a  changeless  friend. 

1841. 


SABBATH  THOUGHTS. 

WRITTEN    DURING    ILLNESS. 

Oh,  do  not  think  because  I  weep, 
And  smiles  a  while  are  flown, 

And  thoughts  of  darkness  o'er  me  creep, 
My  God  hath  left  me  lone ; 

That  His  deep  love  is  vain  to  hush 

This  wildly  yearning  heart; 
That  to  the  dreams  which  o'er  me  rush, 

He  cannot  peace  impart ; 

That  'tis  but  vain,  religious  balm. 
Which  joy  my  soul  had  stored, 

And  fruitless  all,  the  hope,  the  calm, 
Found  in  His  precious  word. 

Oh,  no!     Oh,  no!     Mine  eyelids  swell 
With  quickly  quivering  tears. 

And  thoughts,  in  sluggish  darkness,  dwell 
'Neath  earth's  depressing  fears; 

And  all  of  joy,  of  hope,  of  peace, 
Seems  banish'd  hence  a  while, 

For  He  who  bids  all  sorrow  cease, 
Hath  veil'd  His  gracious  smile; 


216  POEMS. 

And  turn'd  away  that  loving  eye 

Which  beam'd  on  me  in  pain, 
And  left  me  helplessly  to  lie, 

As  if  my  trust  were  vain. 

No !  no !  'tis  only  for  a  little  while, 

He  turns  away  His  face, 
And  once  again  His  cheering  smile, 

My  yearning  soul  shall  trace; 

And  'tis  His  love  which  lays  me  low, 

And  bows  my  soul  to  dust, 
And  bids  the  tear  of  anguish  flow. 

To  mark  if  still  I  trust: 

If  still,  thongh  comfortless,  I  turn, 

And  pine,  and  long  for  Him, 
And  loving  mercy  still  discern, 

Though  mortal  sight  be  dim, — 

And  oh,  I  know,  I  feel  it  love, 

And  lay  me  at  His  feet, 
Knowing  that  if  I  look  above, 

E'en  sorrow's  self  is  sweet. 

The  tempest  shadows  darkly  lower, 

To  fold  me  in  their  night, 
But,  oh !  in  His  appointed  hour 

His  love  will  bring  forth  light. 

i.'id  I  will  wait  for  Him,  and  rest. 
Without  one  murmuring  plaint. 

Though  sighs  escape  my  labouring  breast, 
And  my  lonely  spirit  faint. 

Heed  not  my  crying,  Lord !  'tis  well, 
Or  Thou  wouldst  let  me  free. 

Better  in  chains  with  Thee  to  dwell 
Than  free,  apart  from  Thee ! 

Thou  mark'st  me  Thine ;  these  hours  of  pain 
That  bid  me  lonely  lie, 


POEMS.  217 


Aud  bind  me  with  a  heavy  chain, 
Still,  still  proclaim  Thee  nigh! 

They  call  me  for  a  while  from  earth, 
And  all  her  pleasant  dreams, 

And  if  they  check  the  voice  of  mirth, 
And  joy's  too  dazzling  gleams: 

Oh,  'tis  to  hold  commune  with  Thee, 

To  feel  I  am  Thine  own, 
Thy  "still  small  voice"  would  silent  be, 

In  festal  halls  alone. 

Let  me  but  feel  this,  Father,  oh ! 

E'en  though  a  while  I  weep; 
Let  not  o'er  faith's  rejoicing  glow, 

The  stagnant  darkness  creep. 

Be  with  me  still !  though  comfortless. 

Let  not  my  trust  depart, 
Oh,  be  Thy  spirit  nigh  to  bless 

This  lone  and  aching  heart! 


o 


Grant  me  but  faith,  my  God!  to  rest 

Unmurm'ring  in  Thy  will, 
Then,  then,  though  peace  forsake  my  breast, 

I  am  in  safety  still! 


AN  HOUR  OF   PEACE. 

Oh,  wake  me  not  from  this  sweet  dream 

Now  o'er  my  spirit  stealing, 
Of  heaven's  deep  calm  a  shadowy  gleam 

This  care-worn  heart  is  feeling. 

This  is  not  suffering,  though  my  frame 
-    Be  weak  and  pain-struck  lying  ; 
While  life's  sad  cares  no  thought  can  claim. 
There  is  no  need  for  sighing. 
19 


218  POEMS. 


This — ^this  is  peace !  disturb  it  not, 
To  heaven  that  dream  has  won  me. 

Oh  let  me  lie,  the  world  forgot — 
God's  eye  alone  upon  mel 

'Tis  thoughts  of  heaven,  of  God,  of  death, 
That  now  are  round  me  clinging. 

That  o'er  mv  soul  one  balmv  breath 
Of  purest  joys  are  flinging. 

Oh  break  them  not,  too  few,  too  fleet, 
Like  gleams  of  light  departing, 

Sent  with  such  perfect  calm  replete, 
To  soothe  earth's  restless  smarting. 

And  oh !  when  death  is  near  at  hand, 
May  such  bless'd  thoughts  be  given; 

My  throbbing  heart  be  softly  fann'd 
By  breezes  sent  from  heaven  ! 

No  need  e'en  then  of  sigh  or  groan, 

If  those  I  love  surround  me. 
My  mother's  kiss  to  soothe  my  moan, 

My  father's  arm  around  me! 

And  one  loved  friend  my  hand  to  hold, 
And  whisper  tales  of  heaven. 

And  one  in  memory  long  enfold. 
When  life's  last  link  is  riven. 

And  oh  I  if  music  may  descend, 

To  hail  the  soul  that's  flying, 
Let  it  with  love's  soft  accents  blend, 

To  soothe  me  e'en  in  dying. 

No  need  for  tears,  an  hour  like  this 
Forbids  all  sounds  of  wailing. 

It  whispereth  of  immortal  bliss. 
Whose  joy  is  never  failing. 

These  are  the  visions  sweet,  that  twine 
Their  lustrous  rays  around  me. 


POEMS.  219 


When  pain  and  weakness  oft  are  mine, 
And  to  my  couch  have  bound  me. 

Oh,  think  not  then,  this  tearful  eye, 

Thus  heavy  is  with  sorrow  ; 
Nor  seek  to  soothe  me  as  I  lie, 

And  promise  health  to-morrow; 

Nor  wake  me  from  these  blessed  dreams- 
The  cares  of  life  oppress  me, 

I  would  lie  still  in  heaven's  own  gleams, 
And  feel — my  God  doth  bless  me ! 


SONG  OF  THE   SP.ANISH  JEWS 

DURIXG    THEIR    "  GOLDEX    AGE.'* 

"  It  was  in  Spain  that  the  golden  age  of  the  Jews  shone  with  the  bright- 
est and  most  enduring  splendour. 

"  In  emulation  of  their  Moslemite  brethren,  they  began  to  cultivate  their 
long  disused  and  neglected  poetry:  the  harp  of  Judah  was  heard  to  sound 
again,  though  with  something  of  a  foreign  tone," — Jlilman's  History  of  the 
Jews. 

Oh,  dark  is  the  spirit  that  loves  not  the  land 
Whose  breezes  his  brow  have  in  infancy  fann'd. 
That  feels  not  his  bosom  responsively  thrill 
To  the  voice  of  her  forest,  the  gush  of  her  rill ; 

Who  hails  not  the  flowers  that  bloom  on  his  way. 
As  blessings  there  scatter'd  his  love  to  repay; 
Who  loves  not  to  wander  o'er  mountain  and  vale, 
Where  echoes  the  voice  of  the  loud  rushing  gale ; 

Who  treads  not  with  awe  where  his  ancestors  lie, 
As  their  spirits  around  him  are  hovering  nigh  ; 
Who  seeks  not  to  cherish  the  flowers  that  bloom 
Amid  the  fresh  herbs  that  o'ershadow  their  tomb. 

Oh,  cold  is  such  spirit:  and  yet  colder  still 

The  heart  that  for  Spain  does  not  gratefully  thrill, 


220  POEMS. 

The  land  -which  the  foot  of  the  weary  has  pressed, 
"Where  the  exile  and  wanderer  found  blessing  and  rest. 

On  the  face  of  the  earth  our  doom  was  to  roam, 
To  meet  not  a  brother,  to  find  not  a  home  ; 
But  Spain  has  the  exile  and  homeless  received, 
And  we  feel  not  of  country  so  darkly  bereaved. 

Home  of  the  exiles!  oh  ne'er  will  we  leave  thee ; 
As  mother  to  orphan,  fair  land,  we  now  greet  thee. 
Sweet  peace  and  rejoicing  may  dwell  in  thy  bowers, 
For  even  as  Judah,  fair  land !  thou  art  ours. 

Oh,  dearest  and  brightest!  the  homeless  do  bless  thee, 
From  ages  to  ages  they  yearn  to  possess  thee. 
In  life  and  in  death  they  cling  to  thy  breast, 
And  seek  not  and  wish  not  a  lovelier  rest. 


A  VISIOX  OF  JERUSALEM, 

WHILE    LISTENING    TO   A    BEAUTIFUL    ORGAN    IN   ONE  OF    THE    GENTILE 

SHRINES. 

I  SAW  thee,  oh  my  fatherland,  my  beautiful,  ni}'  own! 

As  if  thy  God  had  raised  thee  from  the  dust  Avhere  thou  art  strewn, 

His  glory  cast  around  thee,  and  thy  children  bound  to  Him, 

In  links  so  brightly  woven,  no  sin  their  light  could  dim. 

Methought  the  cymbals'  sacred  sound  came  softly  on  ray  ear, 
The  timbrel,  and  the  psaltery,  and  the  harp's  full  notes  were  near; 
And  thousand  voices  chaunted.  His  glory  to  upraise. 
More  heavenly  and  thrillingly  than  e'en  in  David's  days. 

Methought  the  sons  of  Levi  were  in  holy  garments  there, 

Th'  anointed  one  upon  his  throne,  in  holiness  so  fair. 

That  all  who  gazed  on  him  might  feel  the  promise  be  fulfill'd, 

And  sin,  and  all  her  baleful  train,  now  he  had  come,  were  still'd. 

And  thousands  of  my  people  throng'd  the  pure  and  holy  fane. 
The  curse  removed  from  every  brow,  ne'er  more  to  come  again; 


POEMS.  221 

Th'  Almighty  hand  from  each,  from  all,  had  ta'en  the  scorching 

brand. 
And  Israel,  forgiven,  knelt  within  our  own  bright  land ! 

My  country!  oh  my  country!  was  my  soul  enrapt  in  thee 
One  passing  moment,  that  mine  eyes  might  all  thy  glory  see? 
What  magic  power  upheld  me  there? — alas!  alas!  it  past, 
And  darkness  o'er  my  aspiring  soul  the  heavy  present  cast. 

I  stood  ALONE  'mid  thronging  crowds  who  fill'd  that  stranger  shrine, 
For  there  were  none  who  kept  the  faith  I  hold  so  dearly  mine: 
An  exile  felt  I,  in  that  house,  from  Israel's  native  sod, — 
An  exile  yearning  for  my  home, — yet  loved  still  by  my  God. 

No  exile  from  His  love !     No,  no ;  though  captive  I  may  be. 
And  I  must  weep  whene'er  I  think,  my  fatherland,  on  thee ! 
Jerusalem !  my  beautiful !  my  own !  I  feel  thee  still. 
Though  for  our  sins  thy  sainted  sod  the  Moslem  strangers  fill. 

Oh !  that  thy  children  all  would  feel  what  our  sins  have  done, 
And  by  our  every  action  prove  such  guilt  the  exiles  shun, 
Until  they  seek  their  God  in  prayer,  oh !  will  He  turn  to  them, 
And  raise  thee  once  again  in  life,  my  own  Jerusalem ! 

"If  they  their  own  iniquity  in  humbleness  confess, 
And  all  their  fathers'  trespasses,  — nor  seek  to  make  them  less  ;* 
If  they  my  judgments  say  are  right,  and  penitently  own 
They  reap  the  chastisement  of  sin,  whose  seeds  long  years  have 
sown  :t 

''Then  will  I  all  my  vows  recall,  and  from  them  take  my  hand, 
My  covenant  remember,  and  have  mercy  on  their  land.^'t 
So  spake  the  Lord  in  boundless  love  to  Israel  His  son;§ 
But  can  we,  dare  we  ^ajj,  these  things  we  do,  or  we  have  done? 

Alas,  my  country!  thou  must  yet  deserted  rest  and  lone, 
Thy  glory,  loveliness,  and  life,  a  Father's  gifts,  are  flown! 
Oh  that  my  prayers  could  raise  thee  radiant  from  the  sod, 
And  turn  from  Judah's  exiled  sons  their  God's  avenging  rod! 


*  Levit.  xxvi.  40.  f  H^-  41.  %  lb.  42,  45. 

§  Exod.  iv.  22,  23. 
19* 


222  POEMS. 

And  like  an  oak  thou  standest,  of  leaves  and  branches  shorn  ;* 
And  we  are  like  the  wither'd  leaves  by  autumn  tempests  torn 
From  parent  stems,  and  scatter'd  wide  o'er  hill,  and  vale,  and  sea, 
And  known  as  Judah's  ingrate  race  wherever  wo  may  be. 

Oh!  blessed  was  that  vision'd  light  that  flash'd  before  mine  eye; 
But,  oh,  the  quick  awakening  check'd  ray  soul's  ecstatic  sigh! 
Yet  still,  still  wilt  thou  rise  again,  my  beautiful,  my  home, 
Our  God  will  bring  thy  children  back,  ne'er,  ne'er  again  to  roam  I 


ANGELS. 

WRITTEN  WHILE  WATCHING,  AT  PAST    MIDNIGHT,  ALONE    BY  THE    BED- 
SIDE OF  A  BELOVED  FRIEND. 

I  CANNOT  see  ye,  beauteous  forms,  nor  mark  your  brooding  wings, 
But  oh  !  a  deeper  quivering  sense  around  my  spirit  clings, 
To  whisper  ye  are  near  me  still, — ye  shroud  me  closer  now, 
Printing  the  kiss  of  sleep  and  peace  on  yon  pale  sufferer's  brow. 

Spirits  of  light!  and  love!  and  joy!  still  let  me  feel  ye  near! 
To  share  and  bless  my  lonely  watch,  and  dry  each  lingering  tear, 
To  murmur  Faith  and  Hope  unto  this  faint  and  drooping  heart, 
And  bid  the  pangs  of  fell  disease  from  yon  loved  one  depart. 

Meek  messengers  of  Heaven, f  in  pitying  mercy  sent, 
Whose  balmy  pinions  float  around,  with  blessings  redolent, 
Linger  beside  the  couch  of  pain  ;  unloose  that  prisoning  chain  ; 
And  give,  oh  give  my  mother  back  to  life  and  health  again. 

I  know  that  ye  are  near  me  ;  yes  !  I  feel  your  brooding  wing, 
It  shrouds  me,  in  this  silent  hour,  till  sorrow  hides  her  sting ; 
It  fans  my  brow,  it  fills  my  soul  with  hope's  sweet  accents  mild, 
For  ye  have  come  from  heaven  to  save  a  mother  to  her  child. 

*  Isaiah  i.  29,  30;  vi.  13. 

■J"  The  Hebrew  word  -iNSn  translated  angel,  signifies  literally  messengery 
applied  to  whatever  is  sent  by  God  to  execute  His  will,  from  n^^  Arabic,  to 
send  or  employ. 


POEMS.  223 

'Tis  silence,  and  'tis  midnight,  yet  my  spirit  feels  not  lone, 
It  lieth  Avrapt  in  fantasies  which  have  no  earthly  tone, 
It  holdeth  commune  full  of  faith,  angelic  forms  !  with  ye ; 
Oh  let  that  commune  to  my  soul  a  well  of  gladness  be. 

Nearer,  yet  nearer!  numberless!  ye  throng  the  formless  space, 
I  feel,  I  feel  ye  press  around,  a  pure  and  sinless  race ; 
Ye  people  night  with  glowing  forms,  make  silence  one  sweet  sound, 
Whose  thrilling  tones  pierce  in  and  in,  the  spirit's  depths  profound. 

The  sins  of  earth  mine  eyelids  veil,  and  dim  my  longing  ear; 
But  still,  oh  still  my  Father's  love  permits  your  hovering  near. 
I  know,  I  know  ye  come  from  Ilim,  ye  link  this  earth  with  heaven,* 
And  earth's  dark  hours  of  grief  and  care  to  your  fond  charge  are 
given. 

In  every  balmy  sleep  that  seals  yon  sufferer's  aching  eyes, 

In  every  smile  that  on  her  lip  in  cradled  slumber  lies. 

In  every  soothing  thought  that  comes  to  check  the  watcher's  tear, 

Angels  of  Heaven!  spirit,  forms!  I  know  that  ye  are  near; 

Oh  linger  round  me !  still,  oh  still,  my  silent  watch  to  share. 

And  upward !  upward  on  your  wings  my  fainting  spirit  bear. 


COMMUNINGS  WITH  NATUKE. 
I. 

NIGHT. 

Night!  solemn  Night,  what  mighty  spell  is  thine. 
That  with  such  thrilling  accents  to  the  soul 

Thou  whisperest  thy  tale  of  things  divine. 

Till,  springing  upward  from  this  earth's  control, 

The  soaring  spirit  feels  a  while  set  free. 

Yet  clings  in  fond  devotion,  Night !  to  thee. 

What  deep  calm  bear'st  thou  in  thy  shadowy  zone. 
In  the  rich  purple  of  thy  midnight  sky, 

*  "And  Jacob  dreamed,  and  behold  a  ladder  set  upon  the  earth,  and  the 
top  of  it  reached  to  heaven,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascended  and  descended 
upon  it." 


224  POEMS. 

Till  the  full  heart  thrills  'neath  the  solemn  tone, 

Of  moaning  breezes  as  they  pass  and  die ! — 
Hast  thou  not  eloquence  all,  all  thine  own, 
That  sunshine  hears  not,  day  hath  never  known? 

Nijrht !  lovely  Xi2;ht  I     I  stood  in  forests  dense, 
The  -wild  savannas  of  the  mighty  West, 

AVhere  the  red  Indian  rears  his  reedy  fence. 
And  'neath  far-spreading  cedars  sinks  to  rest, 

LuU'd  into  slumber  by  the  rushing  sound 

Which  far  Xia;2;'ra  sends  on  echoes  round. 


o 


I  traced  the  shadow  of  the  giant  trees. 

Moveless  in  solemn  grandeur,  'gainst  the  sky, 

Or  bending  slowly  to  the  fragrant  breeze 
In  graceful  greeting  as  it  pass'd  them  by; 

A  young  moon  smiled  in  faint  and  timid  light: 

All  was  so  calm — I  bless'd  thee,  lovely  Night ! 

I  stood  where  holy  Jumna's  crystal  stream 

Gush'd  softly  midst  the  Brahmin's  sacred  bowers, 

AVhere  its  blue  waters  in  the  moonlight  gleam, 

Deck'd  with  rich  shrubs  and  nature's  loveliest  flowers, 

Where  the  bright  diamond  glimmers  from  the  mine, 

And  the  rich  gold  decks  many  a  silent  shrine ; 

Where,  'mid  the  ruins  of  a  dreamy  past. 

Affection's  fane  its  glittering  dome  uprears. 

Whose  marble  terraces  dim  lustre  cast 

O'er  that  rich  gorgeousness, — and  told  of  tears; 

And  flowers  flung  far  their  scent  and  grlistenino-  lio-ht ; — 

Where  was  the  loved?     Thou  wert  not  changed,  oh  Night ! 

All  heavily  and  slow  my  camel  paced 

AVhere  Afric's  desert  stretch'd  her  trackless  sand, 

Where  never  glistening  green  the  ej'e  hath  traced, 
Nor  gushing  founts  the  wavy  palm  hath  fann'd ; — 

All,  all  was  drear  and  desolate  around, 

But  Night's  deep  calm  e'en  there  my  spirit  bound. 

Joyously,  joyously  o'er  the  blue  deep. 
The  light  bark  seeketh  a  lovelier  strand ; 


POEMS.  225 

The  white  waves  dash  where  rich  corals  sleep. 

And  jirlitterinn;  o-ems  deck  the  yellow  sand: 
Joyously,  joyously  the  day  sped  by, 
And  smiled  o'er  the  galley  the  sunset  sky. 

And  thou,  oh  soft  Night !  thy  shadows  fell, 

Lulling  e'en  Ocean  to  sleep  on  thy  breast, 
Till  the  waves  gush'd  by  with  a  whispering  swell, 

As  fearing  to  wake  the  deep  Ocean's  rest ; 
And  thy  stars  gleam'd  forth  with  such  quivering  light: 
Still !  still — thou  wert  changeless,  oh  lovely  Night ! 

And  thou  wert  beauteous  in  the  Grecian  Isles, 
Where  fragrant  myrtle  and  dark  olives  twine. 

Where  o'er  rich  Dorian  fanes  bright  sunlight  smiles, 
And  ruby  roses  wreathe  the  purple  vine, 

And  dreamy  visions  with  sweet  music  came. 

Till  life  seem'd  chano;ed:  thou  only  wert  the  same. 


o 


Night,  solemn  Night!  faint  shadows  of  the  past 
AVere  round  me !     Rome,  with  her  rich  memories, 

Embodying  forms,  the  spell  of  fancy  cast, 

Till  voices  murmur'd  in  each  passing  breeze ; 

And,  awed  and  silenced,  sadness  o'er  me  stole, 

Calming  a  while  th'  aspirings  of  my  soul. 

How  changed  fair  Italy !  how  desolate 

The  paradise  of  nature,  bearing  yet 
Such  sweet  sad  echoes  of  a  happier  fate. 

Such  lingering  glory,  though  her  sun  hath  set ; 
Oh,  what  dark  changes  might  that  earth  unfold — 
Yet  thou  didst  shrine  her,  Night !  e'en  as  thou  didst  of  old. 

I  stood  once  more  in  England's  lordly  bowers. 
And  life  in  vouth  and  loveliness  were  round ; 

No  shade  of  darkness  dash'd  the  joyous  hours. 
Nor  grief's  sad  echo  the  full  chords  had  found ; 

And  glittering  lamps  of  every  varied  shade 

A  second  sunshine  of  those  halls  had  made. 

And  music's  thrilling  notes  came  on  the  air, 

Waking  sweet  memories  in  the  wanderer's  heart, 


226  POEMS. 

And  smiles  for  faithful  love  wore  round  me  there, 

Like  soft  reviving  waters,  to  impart 
Coolness  to  my  parch'd  soul.     E'en  here,  oh  Night! 
Thou  lookedst  down  still,  so  mildly,  beautifully  bright. 

The  scene  was  changed  around  me ;  dark  and  dense 
The  breath  of  midnight,  as  it  slowly  past, 

And  twined  my  "brow  ;  watching  with  woe  intense, 
I  knelt  where  Death  his  darkening  shadow  cast, 

The  child  of  care  and  sorrow,  yet  a  soul 

All  too  ethereal  for  this  world's  control. 

The  room  was  close  and  small,  and  not  a  sound 
Of  nature's  music  stole  upon  my  ear; 

The  giant  city  slept  mid  hush  profound, 
And  not  a  tree,  a  shrub,  a  flower,  was  near, 

To  breathe  its  fragrance  on  the  heated  mind, 

Or  wake  sweet  melodies  i'  th'  passing  wind. 

The  very  storm  that  heavily  rush'd  past 
Was  voiceless  all,  as  if  the  massive  walls 

Of  human  prisons  chain'd  the  mighty  blast; 
And  not  a  breath  of  freedom  softly  falls 

On  the  pent  spirit,  bidding  it  awake 

And  to  the  inspiring  winds  high  answer  make. 

I  look'd  forth  from  the  casement,  open  wide, 
I  sought  to  woo  the  silent  winds  a  while. 

But  not  a  sound  or  sight  in  love  replied, 
;My  lonely  watch  in  kindness  to  beguile ; 

Walls  raised  on  walls  in  dark  and  dusky  gloom. 

So  close  and  still, — that  city  seem'd  a  tomb. 

Upward  in  sadness  turn'd  my  straining  eye 
Scarce  seeking  aught  to  break  the  witchy  fell 

That  had  enchanted  me.     Oh  how  that  dark  sky, 
Those  starry  orbs,  flung  down  their  soothing  spell, 

In  such  low  whispers  the  fond  tale  to  tell, 

The  beauteous  visions  I  had  loved  so  well ! 

Night!  holy  Night!  oh  be  to  me  unfurl'd 

What  of  deep  mystery  bearest  thou  on  thy  wing  ! 


POEMS.  227 

The  silent  wing  that  o'er  a  weary  world 

Such  healing  balm  all  voicelessly  doth  fling ; 
Speak  to  me  !  answer  me  !  thou  hast  a  tone, 
Full,  thrilling,  mighty — all,  oh,  all  thine  own. 

There  came  a  voice  in  answer  to  that  cry, 

Which  my  soul  heard  in  that  lone,  mournful  hour, 

In  low  yet  solemn  accents,  to  reply, 

And  breathe  the  mystery  of  her  thrilling  power: — 

**  I  do  but  shadow  forth  the  deep,  deep  Love, 

Omniscient,  changeless,  which  waits  thee  above. 

"  I  do  but  whisper  faintly,  and  from  afar. 
Low  tales  of  things  divine,  and  softly  send 

Glimmerings  of  love  undying  in  each  star, 

Which  there  hath  smiled  since  chaos  was  at  end ; 

I  tell  thee  of  an  Eye  whose  lightning  glance 

Embraceth  all  of  earth  and  heaven's  expanse ; 

*'  Of  Him  who  knoweth  not  shadow  of  a  change, 

From  age  to  age  enduring  still  the  same, 
Whose  love  and  truth  no  mortal  can  estrange, 

Whose  might,  earth,  ocean,  sky,  aloud  proclaim ; — 
I  bid  thee  look  on  high, — and  feel  my  breast 
Yearning  to  fold  thee,  type  of  His  own  rest. 

"  Day  is  for  earth,  its  pleasures  and  its  care. 
Its  toil  and  sadness  till  life's  dream  is  seal'd ; 

Upward  each  fainting  soul  'tis  mine  to  bear. 
Till  things  and  hopes  immortal  stand  reveaFd  ;— 

This,  this  is  mine !     Earth  unto  day  is  given, 

But  Night  hath  holier  task — her  theme  is  heaven.'' 


228  POEMS. 


COxMMUNINGS  WITH  NATURE. 
II. 

OCEAN. 

Ocean  !  how  I  love  to  gaze 
When  a  sunbeam  o'er  thee  plays, 
Sporting  on  tliy  bosom  bold, 
Tinging  thy  broad  breast  with  gold. 
Art  thou  not  a  wondrous  thing. 
Full  of  deep  imagining  ? 
Treasures  rich  thy  caverns  fill, 
Treasures  all  immortal  still. 

Ocean  !  how  I  love  to  hear 
Rippling  wavelets  soft  and  clear, 
When  the  moonbeams  glisten  pale 
'Neath  their  spangled  gauzy  veil, 
Breaking  on  the  silver'd  shore, 
Flowing  on  for  evermore  ; 
Beauty  doth  thy  gemm'd  waves  fill. 
Every  change  is  beauty  still. 

Ocean  !  how  I  dread  to  mark 
AVaves  beneath  the  storm  grow  dark. 
Lashing  like  a  furious  thing, 
Flapping  hoarse  thy  snow-white  wing, 
Making  lithe  thy  winding-sheet 
For  the  choicest  of  the  fleet ; 
Gallant  hearts  thy  dark  depths  fill, 
Yet  I  love  thee,  Ocean !  stilL 

Ocean !  be  it  calm  or  storm, 
Still  I  trace  one  viewless  form  ; 
See  Him  in  the  smiling  waves 
When  the  moon  her  bosom  laves ; 
See  Him  in  the  joyous  light. 
When  the  morn  shines  blue  and  bright ; 
Hear  Him  when  rude  winds  rush  by. 
And  the  tempest  hovers  nigh —    . 


POEMS.  229 

He  who,  when  those  depths  He  scann'd, 

Held  the  ocean  in  His  hand — 

Bade  them  roll  forth  at  His  will, 

And  His  might  their  vastness  fill — 

Much  I  love  to  gaze  on  thee, 

For  thou  speak'st  of  God,  thou  Sea ! 


COMMUXIXGS  WITH  NATURE. 
III. 

HYMN    TO    SUMMER. 

Summer  !  beauteous  Summer,  thou  art  come  in  all  thy  mirth, 
And  sunshine  and  rich  beauty  walk  in  glee  along  the  earth ! 
A  thousand  buds  impatient  lay,  awaiting  but  thy  nod, 
Now  upward  springing  hail  thy  smile,  and  mark  where  thou  hast 

trod, — 
And  bid  all  gloom  and  sorrow  from  their  jewell'd  homes  depart, 
To  whisper  forth  in  music — Oh  how  beautiful  thou  art ! 

Summer !  gorgeous  Summer !  there  are  breezes  floating  by, 
That  thrillingly  and  lovingly  to  thy  sweet  smiles  reply ; 
Till  the  full  soul  flings  off  its  dull  and  darkly  prisoning  void, 
Yearning  to  gaze  once  more  on  thee,  and  joy  as  it  hath  joy'd 
To  feel  thy  glowing  sunshine  send  its  radiance  on  my  heart, 
And  whisper,  e'en  mid  pain  and  care,  how  beautiful  thou  art! 

My  spirit  lists  the  tinkling  streams,  which  gushing  steal  along. 
Lending  sweet  music  to  the  free  and  feather'd  minstrels'  song ; 
I  see  them,  like  bright  silvery  threads,  peep  emerald  banks  between, 
Giving  new  radiance  to  the  flower,  new  verdure  to  the  green; 
They  come  upon  my  sleeping  dreams  in  fairy  tones  of  glee. 
And  fill  my  waking  hours  with  love,  oh  such  deep  love,  for  thee ! 

Summer !  lovely  Summer  !  thou  dost  such  peace  impart, 
My  spirit  yearns  to 'feel  thy  smile  sink  deep  into  my  heart; 
To  revel  in  thy  sunshine,  to  bask  beneath  thy  sky. 
And  watch  the  graceful  shadows  on  thy  meadow-lawns  flit  by, 
To  pluck  the  buds  whose  jewell'd  cups  reflect  the  moonbeams  pale, 
And  fancy  every  passing  breeze  breathes  forth  their  fairy  tale. 

20 


230  POEMS. 

To  fling  me  on  thy  velvet  sward,  and  watch  each  twinkling  star 

Come  forth  in  silent  love  to  deck  the  azure  depths  afar  ; 

To  worship  in  thy  forests  when  the  night-wind  saileth  by, 

And  dream  that  angel  messengers  have  left  their  homes  on  high, 

To  hover  o'er  the  starlit  earth,  and  dry  her  every  tear, 

When  thou,  sweet  Summer?  comeston,  e'en  human  hearts  to  cheer. 

That  every  flower  is  a  shrine  where  spirits  love  to  rest, 

And  thence  send  Hope  upon  their  scent  unto  the  weary  breast ; 

That  every  tree  hath  whisperings  peculiarly  its  own, 

And  each  a  guardian  spirit  hath  to  breathe  its  own  deep  tone ; 

And  every  stream,  and  flower,  and  leaf,  and  passing  wind  hath  voice, 

All  angel-tongued  and  silver-toned,  to  cry  aloud — Rejoice ! 

Where  are  these  dreams?  sweet  Summer,  thou  hast  come  with  all 

thy  train 
Of  sunshine  and  of  beauty !  shall  I  seek  thy  spell  in  vain? 
No,  no  !  though  bound  in  heavy  chains  of  weakness  and  of  care, 
And  hid  from  me  sweet  Nature's  smile,  which  made  all  things  so  fair, 
And  pale  and  faded  are  the  hopes  that  linger  round  my  heart ! 
Still,  Summer !  lovely  Summer !  thou  canst  sweet  dreams  impan. 

And  there  are  spirits  near  me,  breathing  silvery  chimes  of  love, 
Lifting  my  soul  from  thy  bright  worlds,  to  brighter  worlds  above ; 
And  every  flower  that  faintly  shines,  and  sinks  in  fading  light, 
Hath  yet  a  tale  of  joyousness  no  earthly  woes  can  blight; 
Sweet  Summer !  lovely  Summer !  though  chains  a  while  I  wear, 
Thy  loving  voice  this  comfort  breathes — Our  God  is  every  where ! 

England — when  confined  to  my  room 

in  the  splendid  summer  of  1812. 


POEMS.  231 


COMMUXINGS  WITH  NATURE. 
IV. 

AUTUMX    LEAVES. 

AuTtTMX  leaves  !  how  beautiful 

Your  fading  glories  are  ; 
O'er  hill  and  dell,  o'er  wood  and  fell. 

Ye  shed  rich  light  afar. 

Of  every  gorgeous  hue  and  shade, 
Brown,  ruddy,  green,  and  gold, 

Each  change,  more  brilliantly  array'd, 
New  glowing  rays  unfold. 

With  smiles  of  trusting  love,  ye  gild 

The  pathway  to  the  tomb, 
Till  Nature,  e'en  in  death,  seems  fill'd 

With  loveliness  and  bloom. 

Ye  deck  with  beauty  e'en  decay, 
And  meet  with  chasten'd  mirth 

The  winds  that  bear  ye  far  away 
To  moulder  on  the  earth. 

Oh  beautiful !  most  beautiful, 

The  lesson  that  ye  speak, 
So  richly  clad,  in  beauty  glad, 

To  whisper  to  the  meek, 

*'  Fear  not !  the  Hand  which  robes  the  tree 

In  glory  ere  it  fade, 
Hath  dearer  mercy,  man,  for  thee, 

E'en  in  death's  gloomy  shade. 

*'  His  love  will  bless  for  thee  with  light 

The  valley  of  decay, 
And  fill  thy  soul  with  thoughts  as  bright 

As  Autumn's  glorious  ray. 


232  '      POEMS. 

*"Tis  beauty  all  around,  above, 
To  shout,  -with  thrilling  voice, 
*God  loveth  all  with  such  dear  love, 
.  He  bids  e'en  death  rejoice. 


;  )) 


COMMUNINGS  WITH  NATURE. 
Y. 

AUTUMN    WINDS. 

The  most  casual  observer  of  nature  must,  we  think,  have  noticed  the 
peculiar  tones  of  melancholy  wailing  borne  on  the  wings  of  the  wind  at 
the  commencement  or  middle  of  autumn — not  the  wild  terrific  gusts  of 
threatening  winter,  but  a  low  sobbing  wail,  not  loud  enough  to  disturb  or 
alarm,  but  just  sufficient  to  impress  its  melancholy  on  the  most  thoughtless 
heart.  Its  wail  having  been  one  evening  universally  noticed,  the  following 
poem  was  the  consequence. 

Sad  is  thy  voice,  oh !  moaning  wind ; 

"Whence  comes  thy  wailing  tone  ? 
Mournest  the  wreck  thy  pinions  find — 

Leaves  brown,  and  bare,  and  strewn? 
That  forest  boughs  are  dark  and  drear. 
That  loveliest  shrubs  are  bow'd  and  sear, 
And  mother  Earth  a  robe  must  wear 

Of  bliss  o'erthrown  ? 

Weep'st  thou  the  buds  whose  glistening  bloom 

Hath  pass'd  away  from  earth  ? 
That  Nature  is  but  one  wide  tomb 

O'er  loveliness  and  mirth  ? 
Mourn'st  thou  sweet  Summer's  early  flight — 
That  storm  hath  rush'd  from  mount  and  height, 
To  whelm  the  flowers  whose  sunny  light 

Smiled  o'er  his  birth  ? 

Weepest  thou  the  laughing  sunshine  gone, 

The  softly  gleamiuo-  sky? 
Night's  glistening  dews,  the  starry  zone, 

And  the  sweet  scents  floating  by? 


POEMS.  233 

Oh !  check  thy  moaning  ;  but  a  while 
Is  hid  sweet  Nature's  glowing  smile : 
'Twill  wake  again,  and  Earth  beguile 
Of  tear  and  sigh  ! 

The  moaning  blast  rush'd  by,  but,  as  it  pass'd, 
Methought  a  low  sweet  voice  the  answer  cast : — 

''I  mourn  not  for  the  glory 

A  brief  while  pass'd  away ; 
That  lovely  thino;s  and  beautiful 

Are  tainted  with  decay. 

"  I  mourn  not  for  the  flowers 

Whose  lovely  smiles  are  dead  ; 
That  summer's  sunlit  hours, 

All  phantom-like,  are  fled. 

"  But  there  are  lovelier  blossoms, 

Now  shrined  in  love  and  mirth, 
In  whose  rich  smiles  and  silver  laugh 

No  dream  of  woe  hath  birth. 

"  I  see — I  see  them  passing ; 

I  mark  the  shrouding  pall ; 
The  loving  and  the  blessing — 

Like  leaves  I  see  them  fall ! 

"  I  weep  the  broken-hearted — 

The  spirits  left  to  moan — 
The  bounding  hope — the  trusting  love — 

The  springy  joyance  flown. 

"  I  weep  the  young  hopes  blighted, 

That  may  not  bloom  again ; 
The  stars  that  love  hath  lighted, 

Quench'd  'neath  pale  sorrow's  rain. 

"I  mourn  the  heavy  anguish 

That  winter's  cold  touch  brings  ; 
The  fireless  hearth — the  scanty  board — 

The  pangs  that  hunger  wrings. 
20* 


234  POEMS. 

*'  The  famish'd  babe  and  mother — > 

The  strong  man  chafed  to  sin. 
Oh!  help'd  ye  one  another, 

Such  woes  had  never  been  I" 

And  so  the  mournful  -wind  went  murmuring  along, 

And  thrilling  truths  were  breathing  in  its  sad  and  solemn  song ! 


COMMUNINGS  WITH  NATURE. 
VI. 

THE    ETERGREEX. 

The  evergreen!  mid  nature's  bloom, 

Why  art  thou  sad  and  lone? 
We  leave  thee  as  a  thing  of  gloom, 

That  hath  no  gleesome  tone. 

Thou  art  so  changeless  that  we  deem 

No  poesy  dwells  in  thee. 
No  vision'd  love,  no  shadowy  dream, 

Shrined  in  thy  leaves  may  be. 

We  heed  thee  not  when  spring's  sweet  voice 

Comes  laughing  on  the  breeze, 
When  new-born  flow'rets  wait  our  glance, 

And  light  hath  touch'd  the  trees. 

We  see  thee  not  when  summer's  smile 
Ilath  pierced  earth's  quivering  heart, — 

Bidding  her  buds,  that  slept  a  while. 
To  bloom  in  thousands  start. 

Mid  avitumn's  glory  still  thou  art, 

And  still  we  pass  thee  by, 
To  jiarner  in  our  wavward  heart 

The  beauty  that  must  die. 


POEMS.  235 

In  winter's  storms, — ah,  there  alone, 

^yhen  all  is  bleak  and  bare, 
We  love  to  list  thy  changeless  tone, 

To  feel — our  friend  is  there. 

And  still  thou  smilest — man's  neglect, 

Rude  storm,  and  blighting  blast, 
Thine  upward  growth  have  never  check'd, 

Nor  laid  thee  with  the  past. 

Thou'rt  ever  present, — ever  nigh, 

In  meek  endurance  still. 
Oh,  ingrate  man,  to  pass  thee  by, 

Till  life  grows  changed  and  chill! 

Emblem  of  God's  omnific  love, 

His  never-changing  care! 
Fair  shrub.  His  faithfulness  to  prove, 

Thou'rt  scatter'd  every  where. 

Constant  in  every  varied  scene 

Of  Nature's  joy  and  grief. 
For  this  I  bless  thee,  evergreen! 

And  love  thy  fadeless  leaf, 

And  feel  how  much  of  poesy  lies 

In  thy  still  changeless  shrine ; 
Unto  the  heart  thy  voice  replies, 

With  whisperings  divine  I 


236  POEMS. 


COMMUNINGS  WITH  NATURE. 
VII. 

ADDRESS    TO    THE    OCEAN.* 

Sound  on,  thou  mighty  Deep,  sound  on,  thou  Sea ! 

Lash  thy  blue  waves  to  snowy-crested  foam, 
Wake  into  music  glorious  and  free, 

Proclaim  thee  bulwark  of  our  island  home. 

Sound  on !  thou  hast  a  voice  of  freedom !     Sound  I 
My  soul  hath  thrilling  echoes  to  thy  voice. 

And  throbs  and  bounds,  as  if  on  thee  were  found 
A  home  where  life,  all-chainless,  might  rejoice  1 

Thou  beautiful !  thou  glorious !  all  unstain'd 
With  earth's  sad  curse,  thou  rollest  on  thy  way ; 

Might!  majesty!  music!  all  retain'd 

Through  whelming  ages,  tinged  not  by  decay. 

Thou  hast  no  dream  of  shadow  or  of  change, 
No  murmuring  voice  of  wailing  or  of  woe; 

Free  on  thy  glorious  path,  uncheck'd  to  range, 
And  do  His  will,  who  rules  thy  billowy  flow. 

I  dream  not  of  thy  gemm'd  and  treasured  caves, 
The  slumbering  riches  on  thy  breast  that  lie. 

Or  treacherous  smiles  that  beam  from  sunny  waves. 
When  death-fraught  storms  are  darkly  hovering  nigh. 

Thou  speakest  not  of  these:  I  do  but  gaze 

In  childish  marvel  on  thy  billowy  sea, 
And  list  the  breeze  with  thy  bright  waves  that  plays, 

And  feel  thee  still,  the  beautiful !  the  free ! 

Then,  oh  sound  on !  my  soul  drinks  in  each  tone 

Of  gushing  waters,  as  a  voice  of  love. 
Whose  melody  in  infancy  was  known. 

Lifting  my  spirit  on  those  depths  above. 

*  This  was  the  last  piece  received  by  the  editor:   before  it  was  printed, 
she  was  at  rest. 


POEMS.  237 

Yes,  His  of  God  thou  speakcst,  ay,  of  Him 
Who  held  thy  rolling  billows  in  His  hand, 

Before  whose  voice  thv  Avildest  war-sounds  dim, 

And  'neath  whose  eye  thy  whelming  depths  are  spann'd. 

Fit  altar  for  His  praise,  thou  mighty  deep ! 

Oh,  my  full  soul  doth  faint  and  quivering  lie, 
AYhelm'd  'neath  the  thoughts  which  o'er  it  rushing  sweep, 

Ere  they  burst  forth  in  words  of  ecstasy ! 

Hail !  hail !  once  more  I  come  to  thee,  thine  own, 
Thine  own  true,  loving  child,  with  bounding  heart, 

And  fancy  free — and  memory's  deep  tone, 

And  hope's  sweet  dream,  that  hath  in  care  no  part. 

I  deem'd  them  flown ;  but,  oh  they  did  but  sleep 
'Neath  the  full  grasp  of  inward  care  and  pain ; 

Thy  voice  the  spell  hath  broken,  and  they  sweep 
O'er  my  full  soul  rejoicingly  again! 

Let  thy  rich  voice  sound  on !  roll  on  thy  waves 
Mid  storm  and  sunshine,  still  the  blue,  the  free ! 

Life  is  upspringing  from  my  soul's  deep  caves, 
To  hail,  to  bless  thee,  oh  thou  glorious  sea ! 


FUNERAL  HYMN. 


The  subject  of  tliis  poem  was  a  young  and  extraordinarily-gifted  friend, 
called  hence  to  glory  at  a  very  early  age,  whose  precocious  intellect,  virtue, 
and  piety,  indeed  marked  him  as  one  of  those  whose  early  removal  is  one 
of  the  most  unanswerable  proofs  of  that  "better  land,"  where  all  that  was 
so  promising  on  earth  shall  be  made  perfect. 

Weep  not  for  him!  thovigh  the  grave  hath  closed  o'er  him, 
E'er  life  had  o'erclouded  his  beautiful  bloom, 

The  bright  world  above  shall  in  glory  restore  him, 
To  joy  that  will  end  not  in  sorrow  and  gloom. 

Weep  not  for  him !  though  his  pure,  gentle  spirit 
For  ever  is  lost  to  a  cold,  checker'd  world ; 


238  POEMS. 

'Tis  summoned  in  mercy  that  bliss  to  inherit, 

Which  waiteth  till  death  his  dark  wing  hath  unfurl'd. 

"Weep  not  for  him !  though  a  young  mind  possessing, 
Such  glorious  gifts  might  not  linger  below, 

Made  perfect  in  heaven,  ere  earth  was  repressing 

Their  beauty  and  strength  'neath  her  mantle  of  woe. 

"Weep  not  for  him  I  though  the  bright  seed  was  springing 
To  flowers,  sweet  flowers,  of  virtue  and  love, 

That  fragrance  afar  from  his  bosom  were  flinging, 
Rich  incense  of  prayer  to  his  Father  above. 

He  hath  but  return'd  to  his  own  native  heaven. 
The  fountain  of  love  whence  in  beautv  he  came; 

And  perfection  and  glory  to  his  bright  gifts  are  given, 
More  lovely  and  pure  than  earth's  pale  wreath  of  fame. 

Weep  not  for  him!  though  from  us  hath  departed 
A  spirit  Truth  circled  with  rays  all  her  o^vn, 

Whose  meekness  and  beauty  so  long  have  imparted 
But  joyance  and  freshness  and  fondness  alone. 

Weep  not  for  him !  oh  none  may  deplore  him ; 

This  world  is  not  fitted  for  spirits  like  his; 
The  frail,  fading  joys  our  love  could  fling  o'er  him 

Had  satisfied  never  his  yearnings  for  bliss. 

Weep  not  for  him !  thus  taken  ere  sorrow 

One  shadow  had  flung  o'er  his  young  spirit's  joy; 

He  hath  gone  to  a  world  where  there  dawns  not  a  morrow, 
The  bliss  of  the  present  to  chill  or  destroy. 


POEMS.  239 


THE  HEBREW'S  APPEAL. 

ON    OCCASION    OF    THE    LATE    FEARFUL    UKASE    PROMULGATED    BY    THE 

EMPEROR    OF    RUSSIA. 

Awake  !  arise !  ye  friends  of  Israel's  race. 

The  wail  of  thousands  lingers  on  the  air, 
By  heavy  pinions  borne,  through  realms  of  space, 

Till  Israel,  shudd'ring,  Israel's  woe  must  bear; 
The  v^oice  of  suffering  echoes  to  the  skies, 
And  oh,  not  yet  one  pitying  heart  replies. 

List  to  the  groan  from  manly  bosoms  rent, 
The  wilder  sob  from  weaker  spirits  wrung. 

The  deeper  woe  that  hath  in  voice  no  vent. 
Yet  round  the  heart  her  deathy  robe  has  flung; 

And  childish  tears  flow  thick  and  fast  like  rain, 

From  eyes  that  never  wept,  and  ne'er  shall  weep  again. 

Vain,  vain  the  mother's  piteous  shriek  of  woe, 
Her  dying  infants  clinging  to  her  breast; 

And  age  infirm,  and  youth,  whose  high  hearts  glow; 
Vain,  vain  their  cry  for  mercy  on  the  oppress'd. 

The  Ukase  has  gone  forth — a  word,  a  breath. 

And  thousands  are  cast  out  to  exile  and  death. 

Ay,  death !  for  such  is  exile — fearful  doom. 

From  homes  expell'd — yet  still  to  Poland  chain'd  ; 

Till  want  and  famine  mind  and  life  consume, 
And  sorrow's  poison'd  chalice,  all  is  drain'd. 

Oh  God,  that  this  should  be !  that  one  frail  man 

Hath  power  to  crush  a  nation  'neath  his  ban. 

Will  none  arise !  with  outstretch'd  hand  to  save  ? 

No  prayer  for  pity  and  for  aid  awake? 
Will  SHE  who  gave  to  Liberty  the  slave, 

For  God's  own  people  not  one  effort  make? 
Will  SHE  not  rise  once  more,  in  mercy  clad, 
And  heal  the  bleeding  heart,  and  Sorrow's  sons  make  glad? 


240  POEMS. 

"Will  England  sleep  when  Justice  bids  her  wake, 

And  send  her  voice  all-thrillino-lv  afar? 
Will  England  sleep,  when  her  rebuke  might  shake 

With  shame  and  terror  e'en  the  tvrant  Czar, 
And  'neath  the  magic  of  her  mild  appeal 
Move  Russia's  frozen  soul  for  Israel  to  feel? 

Oh  England !  thou  hast  call'd  us  to  thy  breast, 

And  done  to  orphans  all  a  mother's  part, 
And  given  them  peace  and  liberty  and  rest, 

And  healing  pour'd  into  the  homeless  heart; 
Then,  oh  !  once  more  let  Israel  mercy  claim, 
And  suffering  thousands  bless  our  England's  honour'd  name. 

And  let  one  prayer  from  Hebrew  hearths  ascend 
To  Israel's  God,  that  He  may  deign  reply, 

And  yet  again  His  chosen  race  defend, 

And  "have  respect"  once  more  "unto  their  cry,'* 

And  e'en  from  depths  of  darkness  and  despair 

Give  freedom  to  His  own,  and  "all  their  burden  bear." 

For  shall  we  sink,  though  dark  our  way  and  drear. 
And  Hope  hath  found  in  misery  a  tomb? 

Though  man  be  silent,  Mercy  hath  no  tear, 

And  Love  and  Joy  are  wither'd  'neath  the  gloom? 

No !  God  is  nigh  to  hear  us  while  we  crave, 

And  He  will  "bare  His  holy  arm,  to  shield  us  and  to  save." 

8d  January,  1844. 


POEMS.  241 

"I  NEVER  LOVED  A  FLOWER." 

STANZAS    WRITTEN    IN   A    MOMENT    OF    EXTREME    HILARITY. 

I  NEVER  loved  a  flower, 

And  cherish'd  it  with  pride, 
But  it  wither'd  in  its  home  of  love, 

And  bow'd  its  head  and  died. 

I  never  loved  a  star, 

And  dream'd  it  gave  reply 
To  my  spirit's  deep  imaginings, 

But  it  faded  from  on  high. 

I  never  loved  a  friend, 

But  parting's  fiat  came, 
And  sympathies  were  sever'd,  that 

Ne'er  seem'd  again  the  same. 

I  never  felt  deep  gladness, 

But  a  silent  shadow  stole. 
E'en  'mid  the  laughing  flowers  that  twined 

A  moment  o'er  my  soul. 

Then,  oh!  be  still,  my  spirit. 

Hush  thy  full  joyance  now. 
Bid  hence  the  rays  that  light  mine  eye 

And  sparkle  on  my  brow! 

Back  to  thy  calmness  come, 

Break  from  the  glittering  chain 
So  strangely  o'er  my  full  heart  thrown, 

Back  to  thy  home  again ! 

Deck  not  this  earth  so  brightly ; 

Joy  hath  not  here  his  rest; 
His  whisper  hath  too  sweet  a  tone 

For  aught  of  mortal  breast. 

Oh  come  back  to  thy  stillness, 
And  dwell  there  with  thy  God ; 
21 


242  POEMS. 

His  "blessed  paths  of  quietness 
Securely  thou  hast  trod. 

And  thoutrh  no  dazzlinn^  flowers 
May  there  breathe  tales  of  glee, 

And  mirth's  light  laugh  no  echo  finds; 
In  safety  thou  wilt  be. 

Our  Father^s  smile  will  lead  thee, 
His  love  will  go  before — 

Return  !  return,  my  spirit — Oh 
Come  to  thy  God  once  more. 


DIALOGUE  STANZAS. 


COMPOSED     FOR,    AND     REPEATED     BY,    TWO     DEAR     LITTLE     ANIMATED 
GIRLS,  AT  A  FAMILY  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  FESTIVAL  OF  PURIM. 

•'Come  forth,  sweet  sister!  leave  your  book,  we  have  no  task  to-day, 
The  flowers,  and  birds,  and  sunny  sky,  invite  us  forth  to  play; 
Oh!  think  what  joys,  what  happy  hours,  this  long'd-for  day  we  share. 
And  let  us  hunt  for  spring's  sweet  flowers,  to  wreathe  our  mother's 

hair. 
Come,  we  have  days  enough  to  read,  sweet  sister,  come  with  me, 
Away  with  such  grave  looks  and  thoughts!  to-day  is  but  for  glee." 

"A  little  while,  and  I  will  come, — I  only  want  to  know 
What  pass'd  upon  this  very  day — a  long  time  ago; 
Our  mother  told  us  a  sad  tale — that  thousands  were  to  die, 
E'en  little  children,  sister  dear — as  young  as  you  or  I. 
And  all  because  a  cruel  foe  swore  vengeance  on  our  race. 
That  from  the  noble  Mordecai  no  homage  could  he  trace." 

"  But  we  were  saved,  sweet  sister;  death  was  averted  then. 
Our  mother  told  us  Estuer  came,  and  there  was  joy  again; 
She  was  so  lovely,  and  so  good,  the  king  could  naught  deny, 
And  so  she  sent  fleet  messengers,  that  Israel  should  not  die. 
There!  I  have  told  you  all  the  tale, — you  need  not  read  it  now; 
Come,  dearest!  to  our  birds  and  flowers — and  clear  that  thoughtful 
brow." 


POEMS.  243 

"Sweet  sister!  let  me  think  a  while,  and  then  I'll  merry  be. 
Should  we  not  think  a  grateful  thought  e'en  in  our  sunuv  glee  ? 
It  was  not  onlt/  Esther's  words — but  Israel's  Gx)d  wa^  there. 
The  king  of  Persia's  heart  to  turn — His  chosen  ones  to  spare. 
And  we  should  bless  Ilim,  sister  dear,  that  He  protects  us  still. 
And  such  kind  friends  bestows  on  us,  to  guard  us  from  all  ilL" 

**  Yes,  ves.  sweet  sister,  vou  are  ri^ht,  not  onlT  is  to-dav 
For  idle  mirth,  and  noisy  games,  and  merry  thoughtless  play. 
We'll  love  our  mother  more  and  more,  and  all  our  de^r  kind  friends, 
And  grateful  be  that  hours  of  dre^d,  no  more  our  Father  sends ; 
That  we  may  sport  amid  the  flowers  as  happy  as  a  bee. 
And  cruel  foes  can  never  come,  to  mar  our  childish  glee.'* 

*'  See,  seel  I'm  ready,  sister  dear — I've  put  the  book  away; 
Come  while  the  sun  so  brightly  shines,  we'll  weave  our  garland 

What  joy  I — what  joy!  this  happy  day  shall  see  us  all  together. 
E'en  those  dear  friends,  whom  time  and  space  so  long  from  us  did 


sever; 


Oh !  many,  many  happy  years,  still  spare  us  to  each  other. 
Sweet  sister,  come  I  I'm  ready  now — the  garland  for  our  mother." 
184j. 


MEMORY  AND  HOPE. 

"Tte  Future  is  mere  present  than  the  Past, 
For  one  look  hack,  a  thousand  on  I  cast, 
Aad  Hope  dotb.  even  Memorj  outlast." 

Is't  so  with  thee?     Thou'rt  happy,  gentle  friend; 

Such  blissful  visions  floating  o'er  thy  way, 
That  Hope  and  Phantasy  do  sweetly  blend. 

To  bless  the  present  with  a  future  day. 

That  Hope,  for  thee,  is  sweeter  e'en  than  those 
Fond  lingering  memories  of  a  joyous  past; 

And  as  Life's  rippling  streamlet  with  thee  flows. 
No  shrouding  mists  its  silvery  waves  o'erca^t. 


244  POEMS. 

Not  80  •with  me — I  may  not  forward  glance, 

I  dare  not  list  those  brightly  glistening  dreams. 

That  oft  Avould  people  Fancy's  \N-ide  expanse 
With  fair  and  lovely,  but  how  fleeting  gleams! 

'Tis  all  too  sweet,  the  voice  of  Hope,  for  me. 

Too  fresh  the  garlands  that  her  smile  would  weave, 

Too  wild  and  thrilling,  her  full  notes  of  glee, 
That  erst  had  woo'd  my  spirit  to  believe. 

I  listen'd  then,  and  dared  the  pain  she  left ; 

But  now  my  spirit  shrinks  within  its  cell, 
And  rather  rests,  of  her  sweet  joys  bereft. 

Than  find  her  false,  whom  I  have  loved  so  well. 

Oh,  no,  I  may  not  hope !  and  then  my  gaze 
Turns  in  fond  love  on  visions  of  the  past, 

"Where  ^Memory's  sportive  sunbeam  glistening  plays, 
"With  rainbow  hues,  that  cannot  be  o'ercast. 

Oh,  'tis  at  times  such  sweet  sad  joys  to  call 
Back  to  my  soul  the  gladness  that  hath  fled, 

AVhose  rosy  radiance  o'er  all  things  would  fall, 
In  laughing  light,  from  its  own  fountain  shed  ; 

To  wander  o'er  again,  with  smile  and  jest, 
Or  deeper  thought,  where'er  my  fancy  will'd, 

"With  gentle  friends  whose  love  my  spirit  bless'd, 

Hearts  whom  I  deem'd  not  could  be  changed  or  chill'd. 


'O" 


E'en  to  the  fantasies  that  woo'd  me  then, 

Sweet  jMem'ry  wakes  from  their  long  dreamless  night, 
And  calls  back  to  my  inmost  soul  again, 

Joys  that  flash'd  up  in  ever-sparkling  light. 

And  one  by  one  they  rise,  until  a  wreath 

Of  phantom  flowers  doth  with  sweet  fancy  twine. 

More  pure,  more  lovely  thus,  as  Memory  seeth, 

Than  e'en  when  their  full  cloudless  bloom  was  mine. 

I  know  them,  phantoms,  fading  all  away 
Too  soon,  too  sadly,  for  a  lasting  joy. 


POEMS.  245 

But  still  they  give  no  promise,  while  they  stay, 
No  sparkling  rays  the  future  may  destroy. 

And  better  then,  than  Hope's  too  thrilling  voice, 
Wooing  my  soul  with  such  soft  siren  tone, 

I  dare  not  clasp  her  visions  and  rejoice ; 
For  oh  I  they  do  but  glisten !  and  are  flown. 

Bid  me  look  up,  not  forward  ;  then,  oh !  then, 
My  yearning  soul  its  weary  wings  may  rest, 

And  lovely  visions  form  and  smile  again, 

And  Hope  her  dwelling  make  within  my  breast. 

And  one  sweet  dream  she  weaves  which  owns  no  past. 

But  as  Earth's  future  dimm'd,  the  lovelier  smiled 
Hope — that  a  Father's  arm  is  round  me  cast ! 
A  Father's  blessing  will  protect  His  child ! 
1841. 


THE  WANDERERS. 

Gen.  xxi.  14-20. 


With  sadden'd  heart  and  tearful  eye  the  mother  went  her  way, 
The  patriarch's  mandate  had  gone  forth,  and  Hagar  must  not  stay. 
Oh !  who  can  tell  the  emotions  deep  that  press'd  on  Abra'am's  heart, 
As  thus,  obedient  to  his  God,  from  Ishmael  call'd  to  part ! 

But  God  had  spoken,  and  he  knew  His  word  was  changeless  truth ; 
He  could  not  doubt  His  blessing  would  protect  the  friendless  youth ; 
He  bade  him  go,  nor  would  he  heed  the  anguish  of  his  soul ; 
He  turn'd  aside, — a  father's  woe  in  silence  to  control. 

Now  hand  in  hand  they  wend  their  way,  o'er  hill  and  vale  and  wild ; 
The  mother's  heart  was  full  of  grief,  but  smiled  in  glee  her  child ; 
Fearless  and  free,  he  felt  restraint  would  never  gall  him  now — 
And  hail'd  with  joy  the  freshening  breeze  that  fann'd  his  fair  young 
brow. 

His  mother's  heart  was  desolate,  and  tears  swell'd  in  her  eye ; 
Scarce  to  his  artless  words  of  love  her  quivering  lips  reply. 

21* 


246  POEMS. 

She  onlj  saw  the  future  as  a  lone  and  dreary  wild: 
The  present  stood  before  the  lad  in  joj-ance  undefiled. 

She  knew,  alas  !  his  boyish  strength  too  soon  would  droop  and  fade ; 
And  who  was  in  that  lonelv  scene,  to  ";ive  them  food  and  aid  ? 
With  trembling  gaze  she  oft  would  mark  the  flushing  of  his  cheek, 
And  list  in  terror,  lest  he  should  'gin  falteringly  to  speak ! 

Fatigue  she  felt  not  for  herself,  nor  heeded  care  nor  pain — 
But  nearer,  nearer  to  her  breast  her  boy  at  times  she'd  strain ; 
Beersheba's  wilderness  they  see  before  them  dark  and  wide ; 
Oh,  who  across  its  scorching  sands  their  wandering  steps  will  guide? 

The  flush  departed  from  the  cheek  which  she  so  oft  has  kiss'd; 
To  his  glad  tones  of  childish  glee  no  longer  may  she  list ; 
A  pallor  as  of  death  is  spread  o'er  those  sweet  features  now — 
She  sees  him  droop  before  the  blast  that  fann'd  his  aching  brow. 

"  Oh,  mother,  lay  me  down,"  he  cried,  "I  know  not  what  I  feel, 
But  something  cold  and  rushing  seems  through  all  my  limbs  to  steal ; 
Oh  kiss  me,  mother  dear,  and  then,  ah!  lay  me  down  to  sleep — 
Nay,  do  not  look  upon  me  thus — kiss  me,  and  do  not  weep !" 

Scarce  could  her  feeble  arms  support  her  child,  and  lay  him  where 
Some  clustering  shrubs  might  shield  him  from  the  heavy,  scorch- 
ing air; 
His  drooping  eyelids  closed  ;  his  breath  came  painfully  and  slow — 
She  bent  her  head  on  his  a  while  in  wild  yet  speechless  woe. 

Then  from  his  side  she  hurried,  as  impell'd  she  knew  not  why, 
Save  that  she  could  not  linger  there — she  could  not  see  him  die — 
She  lifted  up  her  voice  and  wept — and  o'er  the  lonely  wild 
"  Let  me  not  see  his  death  !"  was  borne,  "my  Ishmael,  my  child  V 

And  silence  came  upon  her  then,  her  stricken  soul  to  calm ; 
And  suddenly  and  strange  there  fell  a  soft  and  soothing  balm ; 
And  then  a  voice  came  stealing,  on  the  still  and  fragrant  air — 
A  still  small  voice  that  would  be  heard,  though  solitude  was  there. 

"What  aileth  thee,  oh  Hagar?"  thus  it  spoke:  "fear  not,  for  God 

hath  heard 
The  lad's  voice  where  he  is, — and  thou,  trust  in  thy  Maker's  word! 


03r 

POEMS. 


"v^XfOB^ 


A-vrake !  arise !  lift  up  the  lad,  and  hold  him  in  thine  hand — 
I  will  of  him  a  nation  make,  before  Me  he  shall  stand." 

It  ceased,  that  voice;  and  silence  now,  as  strafhgely  soft  and  still, 

The  boundless  desert  once  again  with  eloquence  would  fill ; 

And  strength  returned  to  Hagar's  frame,  for  God  hath  oped  her 

eyes — 
And  lo !  amid  the  arid  sands  a  well  of  water  lies ! 

Quick  to  her  boy,  with  beating  heart,  the  anxious  mother  flies. 
And  to  his  lips,  and  hands,  and  brow,  the  cooling  draught  applies. 
He  wakes!  he  breathes  !  the  flush  of  life  is  mantling  on  his  cheek — 
He  smiles !  he  speaks  !  oh  those  quick  tears  his  mother's  joy  shall 
speak ! 

She  held  him  to  her  throbbing  breast,  she  gazed  upon  his  face — 
The  beaming  features,  one  by  one,  in  silent  love  to  trace. 
She  bade  him  kneel  to  bless  the  Hand  that  saved  him  in  the  wild — ■ 
But  oh !  few  words  her  lips  could  speak,  save  these — "  My  child, 
my  child  V 
1838. 


AN  INFANT'S   SMILE. 

Smile  on,  sweet  babel  would  I  could  know 
Whence  came  that  soft  and  beaming  glow, 

On  thy  sweet  features  thrown ; 
What  joyous  thought  that  smile  has  wreathed, 
What  inward  voice  of  gladness  breathed, 

To  make  that  look  thine  own. 

We  held  not  forth  a  glittering  toy, 
Nor  woo'd  thee  with  light  song  to  joy. 

Nor  danced  thee  high  in  air; 
But  gently  in  the  cradle  laid, 
Thine  own  sweet  thought  that  smile  had  stay'd. 

And  fixed  its  impress  there. 

Whence  came  it?  though  thy  mother  bends 
Caressing  as  thy  wants  she  tends, 
Thou  dost  not  know  her  voice ; 


248  -  POEMS. 

A  stranger's  arm  might  softly  hold  thee, 
A  stranger's  breast  in  love  enfold  thee, 
And  yet  thou  wouldst  rejoice. 

Thou  hnst  no  dream  of  Love's  strong  pow'r, 
The  ecstatic  joy,  yet  anxious  hour 

Thine  infancy  doth  claim ; 
Thou  hast  no  memories  of  the  pasty 
No  thought  the  j^resent  to  o'ercast, 

Nor  dream  of  future  fame. 

Oh  what  seest  thou?  what  fairy  dream 
Doth  o'er  thine  infant  spirit  gleam? 

By  darker  souls  unknown? 
Hear'st  thou  sweet  voices  lingering  nigh? 
Canst  thou  through  space  and  ether  fly? 

Make  lovelier  worlds  thine  own? 

And  in  thine  innocence,  art  entwined 
With  purer  beings  of  soul  and  mind? 

That  flv,  when  thou  wilt  know 
This  earth's  o'erclouded  tale  of  life, 
Of  sorrow,  and  of  sin  and  strife, 

And  Love's  deep  rosy  glow? — 

Thou  art  immortal !  God  hath  placed 
The  breath  of  life  in  thee,  and  traced 

Ilis  image,  babe,  on  thine! 
Oh  doth  a  rainbow-colour'd  thought, 
By  ministering  spirits  wrought. 

Before  thy  fancy  shine? 

How  mayst  thou  answer?     Loveliest, 
-    Thou  wilt  forget  what  thoughts  had  rest 
On  each  forgotten  hour  ; 
Thou  wilt  look  back,  in  A^ain, — no  dream 
Of  what  thou  loert  will  faintly  gleam, 
Through  more  awakened  pow'r. 

Vainly  wouldst  thou  the  past  recall, 
What  did  thine  infancy  befall, 
Its  joyance  and  its  care; 


POEMS.  *         249 

For  we  have  smiled  perchance  like  thee, 
In  vanish'd  hours  of  infant  glee, 
Yet  only  know — we  were. 

vSmile  I  while  we  clasp  thee,  gentle  one, 
Whom  such  sweet  prayers  are  whisper'd  on, 

Smile  in  thy  baby  glee ! 
One  lovely  thought  that  smile  expresseth, 
Balie  as  thou  art,  a  Father  blesseth, 

A  God  hath  love  for  thee ! 
1842. 


THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  RELIGION  TO  GENIUS. 

Suggested  by  D'Israeli's    most   interesting  and   peculiarly-pleasing  work, 
"  The  Literary  Character  illustrated  by  the  Lives  of  Men  of  Genius." 

Oh,  what  will  soothe  th'  emotions  deep 
That  o'er  the  soul  of  Genius  sweep, 
And  ever-waking  vigils  keep, 

By  night  and  day? 
What  will  to  them  a  balm  impart. 
Or  hush  to  rest  the  throbbing  heart, 
Till  all  its  keenest  pangs  depart? 

Pale  Genius,  say ! 

What  may  restrain  the  burning  fire. 

The  eager  hope — the  wild  desire — 

The  wish  for  fame — the  quick-roused  ire, 

That  mark  his  wav; 
The  dearest  hoJ)es  in  mortal  breast, 
That  oft  less-gifted  souls  have  blest, 
That  in  his  bosom  find  no  rest, 

Yet  torturing  stay? 

Oh,  what  will  soothe  the  hope  so  vain, 
What  tliese  overwhelming  pangs  restrain. 
And  fill  the  void  that  will  remain, 
Through  dreary  hours? 


2C0  POEMS. 


What  will  control  the  wish  for  praise, 
The  spirit  from  its  sadness  raise, 
And  fix  the  poet's  ardent  gaze 
On  fadeless  flow'rs? 

Will  fame  do  this — the  brightest  fame 
That  mortal  man  may  hope  to  claim, 
Undimm'd  by  e'en  a  speck  of  shame, 

Remorse  to  call? 
No!  dazzling  though,  it  will  not  fill 
The  void  within,  nor  hope  to  still 
The  spirit's  ever-bounding  thrill, 

And  rise  and  fall! 

Or  is  it  love — will  love  not  check 
The  poet's  sure,  yet  hidden  wreck, 
And  with  unnumber'd  blessings  deck 

His  onward  way  ? 
Oh,  may  we  hope  that  earthly  love, 
The  pangs  of  Genius  will  remove, 
Or  love  like  his  intensely  prove, 

And  be  his  stay? 

No!  no!  or  love,  or  fame,  or  joy. 
That  earth  can  give,  too  soon  alloy, 
All  seem  but  as  a  fading  toy. 

To  smile  and  fly ; 
Alas!  for  Genius — if  below. 
He  seeks  to  soothe  his  inward  woe, 
Or  deems  this  world  will  e'er  bestow 

An  answering  sigh. 

Oh,  there  is  but  one  Spring  alone. 
Whose  living  waters  soothe  each  moan, 
And  bid  the  deepening  pangs  be  flown. 

Or  give  them  peace ! 
Religion!  'tis  thy  sainted  shrine 
Will  give  to  Genius  bliss  divine. 
And  joys  around  his  brow  entwine. 

That  ne'er  shall  cease. 


POEMS.  251 

Oh,  what  but  thou  can  lull  to  rest 
The  throbbings  of  a  bleeding  breast, 
And  still  the  soul  too  oft  oppress'd 

By  its  own  force, 
Can  break  the  dull  and  heavy  chain, 
That  soaring  pinions  would  restrain, 
Yet  scarce  their  prisoner  can  retain, 

Or  curb  his  course? 

And  oh,  for  that  peculiar  sense, 
Shrinking  and  deep,  and  wild,  intense, 
The  poet's  doom — till  flies  he  hence. 

His  fetters  riven, 
What  voice,  save  thine,  can  peace  bestow, 
Can  calm  the  never-spoken  woe. 
And  rouse  the  spirit's  warmest  glow, 

By  tales  of  heaven? 

And  if  he  pine  for  love  to  fill 

His  weary  bosom's  throb  and  thrill. 

To  calm  his  own  impassion'd  will. 

And  bliss  impart; 
Oh,  thou  canst  lead  him  to  the  Spring 
Whose  love  unending  spreads  his  wing. 
And  gives  relief  to  all  who  bring 

A  childlike  heart. 

Thou  blessed  spirit !  to  this  world 
In  mercy  sent,  when  sin  unfurl' d 
The  blacken'd  flag,  and  madly  hurl'd 

Defiance  down; 
Oh,  what  were  man  without  thy  pow'r? 
Changing  with  every  passing  hour,  . 
Drooping,  when  tempests  darkly  low'r, 

'Neath  misery's  frown. 

Spirit  of  peace,  to  every  heart 
Thine  own  sweet  influence  to  impart, 
But  e'en  more  precious,  when  thou  art 
To  Genius  given; 


252  poEi^rs. 

When  thou  unto  his  soul  art  nigh, 

His  every  thought  to  purify, 

And  at  thy  feet  his  crown  doth  lie, 

To  shine  in  Heaven. 
1839. 


THE   WIDOW. 
"  Let  thy  widows  trust  in  me." 

I  SAW  her  gaze  upon  the  child 

That  play'd  around  her  knee, 
And  on  the  sleeping  babe  that  smiled 

In  its  young  dreams  of  glee ; — 

The  mother's  glance  was  fix'd  on  them, 

Her  only  treasure  now. 
Buds  twining  round  a  wither'd  stem, 

A  bent  and  fading  bough ! 

Her  cheek  hath  lost  the  beauteous  rose 
Which  erst  had  glisten'd  there, 

And  if  at  times  its  shadow  glows, 
'Tis  only  call'd  bv — Praver. 

The  eye  that  laugh'd  in  sportiveness, 
The  lip,  bright  smiles  that  wreathed, 

The  clustering  ringlets'  jetty  tress, — 
The  voice  that  music  breathed, — 

All — all  are  past ; — yet  holier  light 
Gleams  on  that  sadden'd  brow, 

A  star  hath  pierced  through  sorrow's  night, 
That  never  shone  as  now. 

Her  life  had  been  a  troubled  sea 

Of  sorrow  and  of  care. 
E'en  in  those  years  when  youth  and  glee 

Life's  joyauce  ought  to  share. 


POEMS.  253 

But  care  and  sorrow  pass'd  away, 

When  love  twined  roseate  flowers, 
To  shed  a  fragrance  o'er  her  way, 

And  promise  happier  hours. 

A  while  rich  blessings  o'er  her  head 

All  lavishly  were  thrown  ; 
Too  bright — too  brief — they  smiled  and  fled, 

And  earth  ajcain  was  lone ! 


The  brighter  Life  hath  beam'd  before, 

The  darker  shade  he  flings, 
When  Love  may  shed  his  light  no  more 

On  Home's  familiar  things. 

Alone !  alone !  oh,  how  that  word 

Falls  on  the  quivering  heart 
Whose  depths  no  more  by  love  are  stirr'd, 

Whose  tears  unheeded  start. 

Alone !  alone !  with  none  to  bless, 

And  none  to  bless  again ; 
Oh  who  shall  soothe  such  loneliness, 

And  still  its  voiceless  pain? 

None?  is  there  none?  look  on  that  brow 
And  read  thine  answer  there  ! 

Pale — pale — but  oh !  how  placid  now 
The  spirit's  calm  to  share. 

She  droops  not,  sinks  not,  for  above 
Her  heart  hath  found  its  rest ; 

She  clasps  her  Father's  robe  of  love, 
And  clings  unto  His  breast. 

Her  youngest-born  hath  woke  to  smile, 
And  lisp  her  cherish'd  name  ; 

And  Ellen  leaves  her  play  a  while, 
The  same  fond  kiss  to  claim. 

Her  mother's  tears  had  ofttimes  dew'd 
Her  soft  and  rosy  cheek — 
22 


254  POEMS. 

And  in  her  lightest,  merriest  mood, 
Her  bright  eyes  feeling  speak, 

As  if  she  felt  a  silent  woe 

Breathed  in  her  mother's  face, 

Some  holy  thought — she  might  not  know, 
Spoke  in  her  fond  embrace. 

/Oh  pause  not — faint  not  on  thy  way. 

Mother !  thou  art  not  lone ; 
Thy  soul  hath  One  on  whom  to  stay. 
He  claims  thee  as  His  own! 

He  who  hath  bade  the  widow  trust 
In  Him,  when  life  is  dim, 

And  leave — when  dust  returns  to  dust — 
The  fatherless  to  Him, — 

Art  thou  not  His?  thy  fatherless 

His  own  especial  care? 
Oh,  droop  not  'neath  thy  loneliness. 

He  will  thy  burden  bear ! 

He  hath  but  calPd  thy  loved  above. 

To  bind  Him  to  thy  heart, 
To  guide  thee  where  the  souls  that  love 
Shall  never,  never  part! 
1840. 


THE  ROCKS  OF  ELIM. 

Suggested  by  a  perusal  of  Lord  Lindsey's  "Letters  on  the  Holy  Land/*  &c. 

vol.  i.  pp.  260-1. 

The  sun  was  sinking  slowly  in  the  west, 

Yet  filling  that  fair  scene  with  golden  light, 

Which,  soft  and  mellow'd,  heat  intense  suppress'd, 

Yet  gilded  rock  and  wave  with  radiance  bright ; 

And  o'er  the  lovely  azure  of  the  sky, 

Clouds,  gold  and  crimson,  gorgeously  swept  by. 


POEMS.  255 

But  all  breathed  peace  and  stillness ;  not  a  sound 
Broke  the  full  silence  lingering  around, 
Save  the  low  murmur  of  the  rippling  wave, 
As  pensively  it  came,  the  shores  to  lave. 
No  sea-bird  clave  the  soft  yet  breezy  air ; 
No  note  of  life  from  the  huge  mountains  there ; 
In  smooth  repose,  the  fair  and  glistening  plain 
Stretch'd  forth  from  mount  to  sea,  bearing  no  stain 
Of  man's  disturbing  step, — but  rock  and  sea, 
And  mount  and  wood,  in  deep  repose  lay  free, 
Burden'd  with  mighty  memories — that  came, 
E'en  in  the  thrilling  stillness,  to  proclaim 
The  God  of  might  and  love — and  breathe  the  theme 
Of  Ilis  great  deeds — till  a  bright  sunny  gleam 
Of  truth  inspired,  would  sudden  light  impart  I 
E'en  to  that  thing  unknown — an  atheist  heart ! 
A  voice  was  cradled  in  that  soft  blue  sky, 
Whispering  that  the  same  God  of  love  was  nigh, 
Who  in  that  heaven  had  set  His  shadowy  cloud, 
.  And  fiery  pillar,  His  beloved  to  shroud ; 
Darkness  to  3Iitzraim's  host — but  radiant  light 
To  them  He  saved  from  slavery's  starless  night. 
A  voice  had  those  blue  waters,  now  so  still — 
Whose  rippling  wavelets  heart  and  ear  could  fill 
With  melodies  of  heaven.     That  glorious  sea ! 
In  its  full  swelling  tide — the  glad,  the  free  ! 
Rushing  in  thunder  to  the  quiveping  shore, 
Or  still'd,  and  hush'd  to  peace,  its  wild  rage  o'er, 
Unchain'd — unsilenced — scorning  man's  vain  call, 
Obeying  but  His  will,  who  measured  all 
The  waters  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand. 
And  number'd  every  grain  of  the  far-spreading  sand. 
He  spake !  at  once  their  watery  depths  upheaving, 
As  walls  on  either  side — and  dry  land  leaving 
Till  all  had  pass'd — the  first  son  of  the  Lord, 
And  witness  of  His  truth  ; — again  that  word — 
Back  rush'd  the  mighty  waters  with  a  roar, 
Which  spake  their  strange  restraining  yoke  was  o'er, 
And  wave  on  wave  came  thundering  down  the  steep. 
Raised  by  their  upheaved  floods,  and  madly  sweep 
Th'  Egyptian  hosts  before  them — man  and  horse 
Whelm'd  'neath  the  torrent's  wildly  rushing  course : 


256  POEMS. 

Oh !  was  it  but  the  phantom  of  the  past, 

Or  did  once  more  the  silver  clarion's  blast 

Sound  in  mine  ears,  and  mount  and  rock  and  plain 

'Neath  these  full  notes  are  quivering  again  ? 

The  Jewish  hosts  are  marshalling  the  ground 

From  mount  to  sea — their  lines  encamping  round. 

And  priests  and  warriors,  women,  children,  all — 

And  stalwart  youths,  in  ranks  respective  fall, 

Their  tall  spears  gleaming  in  the  sunset  light, 

Till  rock  and  ridge,  with  sudden  radiance  bright, 

Fling  back  the  song  of  praise,  of  glory  loud. 

That  wakes  in  chorus  from  the  holy  crowd. 

From  north  to  south  it  bursts — from  east  to  west 

Alternate  pealing,  echoing  e'er  suppress'd. 

The  rushing  waves  their  mighty  pi\?an  lend. 

And  deeper  tones  the  towering  mountains  send — 

"  Sing,  sing  ye  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  for  He 

On  Mitzraim's  hosts  hath  triumph'd  gloriously, 

The  horse  and  his  rider  in  the  seas  overthrown. 

The  depths  have  cover'd  them,  they  sank  as  stone ! 

Sing,  sing  ye  to  the  Lord  !''     Then  soft  again 

From  gentler  voices  woke  th'  inspired  strain, 

And  harp  and  timbrel  swell'd  the  lingering  chord 

Of  the  rich  anthem — "  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord!" 

The  very  breeze  upon  his  wild  flight  stay'd, 

And  whispering  responses  softly  made. 

And  on  his  pinions  bore  the  strain  along. 

Till  earth  and  ocean  quiver'd  'neath  the  song. 

And  shook  before  the  deep  thanksgiving  pour'd. 

When  the  full  chorus  peal'd,  "  Sing,  sing  ye  to  the  Lord  I" 

The  vision  past !     Ilush'd  was  the  glorious  sound, 
The  rocks  in  stillness,  solemnly  profound, 
Ilung  deepening  shadows  on  the  sand}-  plain. 
And  all  was  hush'd  and  desolate  again. 
Spirit  of  truth  !     Thou  didst  my  soul  enfold. 
And  wrapt  it  in  thy  robe, — till  scenes  of  old 
Embodied  came,  to  thrill  my  yearning  heart, 
And  deeper  love  and  thanksgiving  impart  I 
Oh !  let  the  scorner  and  the  sceptic  seek 
Where  Nature's  self-inspired  love  can  speak, 


POEMS.  257 

"Where  rock  and  ocean,  mount  and  moaning  blast, 
Proclaim  aloud  the  story  of  the  past. 
Hither,  oh  hither,  let  the  doubting  come. 
And  e'en  Thy  meanest  works,  oh  God !  shall  strike  the  scoffer 
dumb ! 
1840. 


PAST,  PRESENT,  AXD  FUTURE. 

A    SKETCH. 

It  was  a  place  of  graves,  and  still  and  lone, 
As  all  of  life's  strange  history  were  flown, 
And  nothing  left  but  the  cold  stones  that  lay 
Thick-crested  o'er  with  emblems  of  decay — 
High  wavy  grass,  where  never  flowers  had  rest, 
And  the  dull  clingino;  moss  that  lav  caress'd 
E'en  by  the  pale  cold  marble.     There  was  one, 
A  mother's  last  low  resting;  and  her  child 
Stood  gazing  round  bewilder'd.     There  was  none 
Like  that  her  soul  had  pictured,  undefiled 
By  Time's  too  withering  hand.     She  sought  a  stone, 
Pure  in  its  spotless  marble — standing  lone. 
With  its  brief  record  of  a  loved  one  gone, 
And  all  untouch'd  by  shadow  of  decay; 
For,  oh  !  that  full  heart,  but  yesterday 
It  felt,  since  they  had  laid  her  there,  alas ! 
Through  bloomless  weeds,  and  melancholy  grass, 
They  led  her  where  a  lowly  grave  reposed. 
Whose  marble  shrine  thick  clustering  weeds  enclosed, 
There  !  there  she  lav  !  her  tomb  bv  Time's  cold  hand 
Touch'd  as  all  others,  in  that  grave-girt  sand. 
When  scarcely  seem'd  it  that  a  week  had  pass'd 
Since  those  fond  eyes  had  look'd  and  smiled  their  last ; 
Since  that  loved  voice  its  last  low  whisper  said. 
And  breathed  its  blessing  on  that  mourner's  head. 
Were  these  but  memories  now  ?  and  could  it  be 
Long  months  had  pass'd  into  eternity? 
Yea,  Time  hath  flung  his  mantle  o'er  the  graves, 
And  when  the  long  grass  in  dark  masses  waves, 

22-^ 


258  POEMS. 

Low  wailing  accents  fill  the  breezy  blast : 

"  The  loved,  the  mourn'd,  the  cherish'd,  all  are  past." 

Shrine  of  the  Past  !  that  solitude — around, 
Beneath,  that  word  of  woe  hath  impress  found — 
Impress  and  echo  ;  but  on  that  lone  heart 
The  PAST  was  present,  sweeter  joys  t'  impart 
In  shadow  than  in  being.     From  the  cup 
Of  mem'ry,  life  in  such  sweet  hues  gleam'd  up, 
And  brought  forth  bliss  which  had  been  with  such  pow'r, 
IIow  might  she  deem  them  phantoms  of  the  hour, 
To  shine  a  while  and  pass  ?     Too  soon  she  felt 
They  were  but  shadows,  in  her  heart  that  dwelt 
And  mingled  with  her  being.     Oh  !  the  woe 
Of  such  awakening !     Fled  the  sunny  glow, 
The  cherish'd  dream,  the  past  once  more  was  past. 
And  the  dim  present  all  its  misery  cast 
One  little  moment ;  then,  by  Mercy  sent. 
The  ftttfre  to  the  present  radiance  lent. 
And  o'er  that  mourning  spirit  softly  stole 
Sweet  visions  of  the  freed,  the  heaven-born  soul, 
Awaiting  hers  in  those  fair  realms  of  love. 
Which  smiled  in  beauty,  life's  last  home,  above. 
The  past,  the  present,  merged  in  Faith's  fond  thought, 
Which  such  bright  glimpses  of  the  future  brought, 
And  soften'd  that  deep  woe ; — and  she  hath  bow'd, 
Believing  and  adoring,  while  the  cloud 
Folding  that  spirit,  melted  into  tears, 
Which  grief  assuaging,  e'en  its  pang  endears  ; — 
She  knew  her  heart  must  wear  a  while  its  chain. 
But  earth  in  Faith's  effulgence  smiled  again. 
1842. 


POEMS.  259 

THE  JEWISH  YEAR. 
I. 

SABBATH    BERESHITH. 

He  spake  ;  th'  Almighty  spake,  and  Earth  and  Heaven 

Started  from  chaos,  ne'er  again  to  sleep ; 
Earth  yet  was  void — no  beauteous  form  was  given, 

And  darkness  lay  upon  the  mighty  deep. 

He  spake :  Let  there  be  light !  and  there  was  light ; 

E'en  as  He  spake,  the  rushing  torrent  came. 
And  darkness  fled  before  th'  effulgence  bright ; 

The  sun  and  moon  were  not — 'twas  Heaven's  own  flame. 

Again  He  spake ;  and  then  a  wide  expanse 
Stretch'd  forth  between  the  waters;  azure  sky, 

Soft,  lovely,  meet  to  bless  the  admiring  glance 
That  icas  to  gaze,  though  yet  it  was  not  nigh. 

And  yet  again  that  Voice,  and  yet  again. 

Six  times  it  spake;  and  earth,  in  richness  clad, 

Teem'd  with  new  life,  that  knew  nor  death  nor  pain, 
But  in  the  presence  of  its  God  was  glad. 

And  fruits,  and  herbs,  and  flowers,  and  grass,  had  sprung 

In  perfect  beauty  from  the  swelling  sod ; 
And  sun,  and  moon,  and  stars,  in  glory  hung, 

Eespleudent,  voiceless,  eloquent  of  God. 

And  earth,  air,  water,  fill'd  with  joyous  life  ; 

Each  element  well  fitted  to  sustain 
Its  given  burden,  which  no  darkling  strife 

Might  dash  with  sin,  or  with  dull  sorrow^s  chain. 

And  man,  majestic,  glorious  man,  was  there ; 

The  Voice  creating  raised  him  from  the  sod, 
And  breathed  into  his  frame  the  vital  air. 

Which  mark'd  him  dearest,  most  beloved  of  God. 


260  POEMS. 

And  at  His  nod  this  was  !     Let  it !  ^twas  done  ; 

Creation  started  from  unbroken  sleep  ; 
And  chaos  past,  and  darkness,  gloom  was  gone, 

And  earth  was  sever'd  from  the  soundless  deep. 

And  still  that  God  is  ours ;  still,  still  His  pow'r, 
Mighty  to  do,  and  mightier  yet  to  save, 

Is  ever  hovering  o'er  life's  darkest  hour. 
To  shield,  revive,  sustain  the  souls  He  gave. 

Oh  !  pause  not,  faint  not,  ye  who  seek  Him  not, 
Him  deeming  all  too  mighty  to  look  down ; 

That  the  small  woes  and  joys  which  mark  our  lot 
Are  all  too  trilling  for  His  smile  or  frown. 

Hear  ye  His  voice,  appealing  from  His  word 
Unto  the  faint,  the  weary,  and  the  worn  : 

"  In  righteousness  I  call  thee,"  saith  the  Lord, 
"And  I  will  pitying  bless  the  souls  that  mourn; 

"And  darkness  shall  be  turn'd  for  them  to  light. 

And  straight  the  crooked  things  my  love  shall  make, 

Increasing  strength  to  them  that  have  no  might. 
The  lone  heart  cheering  for  my  great  name's  sake." 

And  shall  we  doubt  that  word,  mistrust  His  power  ? 

E'en  though  our  paths  seem  dark,  and  chaos  wild 
Enwrap  the  soul  in  misery's  lonely  hour, 

Where  never  light  hath  shone,  no  flow'ret  smiled  ? 

He,  who  brought  forth  this  glorious  world  from  space, 
AYill,  at  one  word,  bid  sorrow's  waves  be  still ; 

Bid  glistening  flowers  the  shapeless  depths  efface, 
And  rushing  light  chaotic  darkness  fill. 

And  as  He  placed  His  image  on  the  earth, 

T'  adorn,  and  bless,  and  sweetly  speak  of  Him, 

So  in  each  heart  His  image  will  have  birth. 
And  breathe  of  joys  that  never  may  grow  dim. 

Father !  oh  lift  to  Thee  each  sorrowing  heart. 
Strengthen  the  faint  and  weary  to  adore ; 


POEMS.  261 


Thy  blissful  balm  in  thy  deep  love  impart, 
And  to  fond  hope  the  spiritless  restore. 

Oh  !  let  th'  effulgence  of  thy  awful  might 
Be  lost  in  the  still  whisper  of  thy  love; 

Let  Mercy  veil  thy  too  resplendent  light, 
And  Pity  lift  each  yearning  soul  above. 


THE  JEWISH  YEAR. 
II. 

SABBATH    NOAH. 

"  Found  grace  before  the  Lord  !"  Oh  blest 

Was  Noah  in  His  sight, 
Blest  that  the  love  within  his  breast 

Was  pure  to  meet  the  light. 
Blest  that  in  him  the  good  was  found, 
And  smiled  amid  the  dearth  around. 

Faithful  amidst  the  biting  scorn. 

The  jeers  of  wretched  men  ; 
Faithful  of  threatening  wrath  to  warn 

Again  and  yet  again ; 
Trusting  in  simple  faith  the  word 
That  mark'd  him  cherish'd  of  the  Lord. 

Long  years  'twas  his  to  work  and  wait, 

The  strange  command  obey, 
Nor  doubted,  though  the  threatened  fate 

Long-suffering  would  delay ; 
He  walk'd  with  God,  he  sought  to  fill 
His  soul  with  prayer,  and  do  His  will. 

And  when  the  rushing  torrents  came, 
With  Death's  deep,  blackest  woe. 

And  vainly  on  the  Eternal's  Name 
The  dying  call'd  below : 


262  POEMS. 

Secure  he  rode  the  mountain  wave, 

And  clasp'd  the  Arm  outstretch'd  to  save. 

He  had  not  waver'd  in  his  trust, 
Nor  wander'd  from  the  way  ; 

The  storm  that  laid  proud  hearts  in  dust 
Did  on  him  harmless  })lay. 

A  Father's  arm  upheld  the  ark 

And  kept  secure  the  fragile  bark. 

And  we,  like  him,  may  watch  and  pray 

Against  affliction's  hour, 
Upon  a  Father's  love  to  stay, 

When  tempests  round  us  lower. 
And,  like  him,  trust  in  faith,  and  still, 
Though  moekers  jeer,  adore  Ilis  will. 

Though  never  more  the  depths  o'erflow 
The  world,  so  bright  and  fair. 

Oh  !  many  a  dark  and  lonely  woe 
The  human  heart  must  bear. 

And  sorrow  is  a  fearful  thing, 

Without  an  ark  on  which  to  clino;. 


o- 


An  ark  of  refuge  still  is  ours, 
And  still  that  Voice  of  love 

Which  Noah  warn'd  of  darker  hours, 
Yet  whispers  from  above, 

And  breathes  a  spirit  in  His  word, 

E'en  as  the  voice  His  servant  heard. 

The  mountains  may  from  earth  depart, 
The  hills  be  hence  removed. 

But  never  from  our  Father's  heart 
Shall  pass  His  well-beloved, 

His  kindness  shall  not  change  or  cease, 

Nor  fail  the  covenant  of  His  peace. 

A  little  moment  He  may  seem 

His  first-born  to  forsake. 
The  glory  of  His  holy  beam 

From  us  a  brief  while  take. 


POEMS.  263 

But,  in  His  mercy,  yet  once  more 
Will  He  His  own  to  joy  restore : 

In  little  wrath,  a  while  conceal 

From  us  His  darken'd  face  ; 
But  soon,  oh  soon !  will  love  reveal 

From  His  pure  dwelling-place  ; 
With  everlasting  love  restore 
His  presence  to  His  own  once  more. 

Thus,  thus  He  speaks,  our  fathers'  God, 

Our  Saviour  and  our  King; 
And  shall  we,  grovelling  in  the  sod, 

Forbear  to  clasp  His  wing  ? 
And  doubt  repiningly  His  word, 
And  shrink  in  woe  from  hope  deferr'd  ? 

Oh  no !  oh  no !  the  fainting  heart 

May  cling  in  faith  to  Him, 
And  He  will  light  and  peace  impart, 

Though  earthly  light  grow  dim ; 
His  word  is  changeless,  as  the  love 
That  beams  around,  below,  above, 

Changeless  in  wrath  ;  and  shall  it  be 

Less  faithful  to  fulfil, 
When  that  efiulgent  love  we  see, 

The  spirit's  waves  to  still? 
Our  faith,  our  heart,  as  Noah  give, 
And,  e'en  mid  storms,  our  souls  shall  live. 

We  may  not  doubt,  we  may  not  pause. 

Believe,  and  work,  and  pray ; 
E'en  though  there  seem  no  threatening  cause. 

Love  will  not  brook  delay. 
God  of  the  chosen  tribe,  the  lost,  the  opprest. 
Oh !  let  Thy  spirit  in  our  hearts  find  rest."^ 

*  The  author  probably  intended  to  write  a  series  of  poems,  one  for  every 
Sabbath  of  the  year;  but  her  premature  death  prevented  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  plan,  if  it  was  entertained. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Ode  to  Charity 203 

The  Chamber  of  the  Dying 204 

Sabbath  Thoughts 205 

"^  "         208 

"  "         210 

"  "         212 

"  "         214 

215 

An  Hour  of  Peace 217 

The  Song  of  the  Spanish  Jews 219 

A  Vision  of  Jerusalem 220 

Angels 222 

Communings  with  Nature: — 

No.  1.  Night 223 

No.  2.  Ocean 228 

No.  3.  Hymn  TO  Summer 229 

No.  4.  Autumn  Leaves 231 

No.  5.  Autumn  Winds 232 

No.  6.  The  Evergreen 234 

No.  7.  Address  to  the  Ocean 236 

Funeral  Hymn 237 

The  Hebrew's  Appeal 239 

I  Never  Loved  a  Flower 241 

Dialogue  Stanzas 242 

Memory  and  Hope 243 

The  Wanderers 245 

An  Infants  Smile 247 

The  Importance  of  Religion  to  Genius 249 

The  Widow 252 

The  Rocks  of  Elim 254 

Past^ Present,  and  Future 257 

The  Jewish  Year: — 

No.  1.   Sabbath  Bereshith 259 

No.  2.  Sabbath  Noah 261 

264 


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